Jean E. Pyatt, 88, of Hillsboro died Jan. 27, 2026, at her home. Mrs. Pyatt started her nursing career right out of high school. On the weekends, she bootlegged moonshine across dry Texas county lines. She later met her husband and raised seven children while being the operating and financial officer of Pyatt Plumbing Co. She also ran a day care called Play Time Cottage in Arnold, where the Pyatt family called home for decades. She and her husband were members of the First Baptist Church of Arnold and later were founding members of the First Presbyterian Church of Arnold. They bought a small farm, raised registered polled Hereford cattle, all named and treated as pets. After selling the farm, they moved to Goldman, a little town just north of Hillsboro, into a three-story home down from the historic covered bridge. There, they opened The Old Curiosity Shop, where she could display the treasures purchased at auctions that they went to on a weekly basis. She and her husband also had a love for animals. While their tastes differed on politics and music (he was a Democrat until Reagan came along and she was a Republican; he liked country music and she preferred classical), they made it work and were still holding hands after more than 50 years of marriage. Born Aug. 21, 1937, in Iowa, she was the daughter of the late Matthew George and Wilna Loretta Schoen.
She was preceded in death by her husband: Louis "Louie" Kenneth Pyatt.
She is survived by two sons: Steven and Larry Pyatt; three daughters: Karen Greco, Joyce and Linda Pyatt; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She also was preceded in death by two sons: Gary Pyatt and Kenneth Pyatt; a daughter: Billie Jean Kutzer; a son-in-law: Lenny Greco; and lifelong friends: Dean and Carol Greever.
Interment will be in Peaceful Meadows Cemetery in Hillsboro. Memorials may be made to the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, 480 St. Joseph's Road, Union, 63084. Arrangements are under the direction of Chapel Hill Mortuary, Robert Brown Chapel in Hillsboro.