Eugenia Juliette Jordan

Eugenia Juliette Jordan was born November 3rd 1927 in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii to parents Julia Pinto and Victor Del Vecchio. Genie often referred to her childhood as growing up in “paradise”. She recalled camping on the beach all summer, eating fish barbecued over the fire or pig smoked in a pit. The earliest pictures of her have her with a ukulele in hand and a mischievous look in her eye, the infectious joy spilling out of a fading black and white photograph. The childhood pictures with bother Humbert are always outdoors, always filled with palm leaves and sunshine.

Aileen, who grew up across the street from Genie said that she had a heart of gold. She recalled that after she had failed an English admittance exam three times, Genie spent her afternoons tutoring her in pronunciation and spelling. Aileen finally passed and she credits Genies time with getting her into Robert Louis Stevenson Junior High school.

Her junior high school photo shows her with her beautiful smile (so like her mother’s) and leis around her neck with kitten heals. She was all Hawaiian and all Haole.

As a young teen, Genie watched the invasion of Pearl Harbor from the roof of her garage until a Zero blew her and her neighbors off the roof. She overheard the fear in her mother’s voice as they discussed what to do if they were invaded. Through the war she saw the privations and sacrifices of the many Americans who went to fight and die in defense of Hawaii. She recalled waiting with one of her friends as each ship returned from the Battle of Okinawa. The boys on those ships now men with hollow eyes and faces covered with Volcanic soot. Her friend was waiting for her fiance to return on one of those ships. Genie would still tear up recalling that day, waiting with her friend for a brave young man who would never come home.

Genie graduated from Roosevelt High School on the island of Maui. They had two sweaters and one set of pearls and everyone took their turns wearing them for the graduation picture.

Genie loved deeply and in fact, the people and places who she loved are what defined her. She loved to laugh, she loved her family , she loved her friends (with special Aloha to the Leathers clan). She loved this country and all it did to save her family. She always worked hard for the good of that country, both in civil service and as a volunteer. She was generous with her time, generous with her love and generous with her happiness., always wishing the best for everyone.

After the war her family with her step-father James (Papa Joe) Hill eventually settled in San Diego, California. In San Diego, Genie went to night school to get her Associates degree. Genie went on to work many jobs including as accountant for the Otay Water District, County of San Diego and the La Mesa - Spring Valley School District. She spent her retirement as an officer for the RPEA until her late 80’s.

San Diego is also where she would meet the love of her life and live our the rest of her years. Don Jordan was a friend of her little brother Humbert (Bert). He took one look at Genie and decided to ask her out to the movies. They dated nearly nine years before getting married in Las Vegas. When asked why she took so long, Genie would reply, “I was afraid that I would miss out on something if I got married to soon, but then I realized that Don and I would do everything together.” And they did do everything together. Married in 1960, they had two children, Don and Julie. They raised their family together, through good times and bad, hard times and easy. To the very end, they told each other they loved each other every day.

Genie is survived by her husband, Don Levert Jordan, son Don James Jordan, daughter Julie Del Vecchio and grandchildren Frank, Sofia, Jonathan and Phillip.