Jeanne Bice
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By Emily J. Minor
BOCA RATON — Jeanne Bice, who took her love for glitter, paired it with a young widow’s instinct to provide for her children and then parlayed all that into QVC fame and fortune, died June 10. Mrs. Bice was 71.
While the family has not come forward with a cause of death, several of Mrs. Bice’s followers posted online tributes, mentioning that Mrs. Bice had been suffering from uterine cancer and blood clots in her lungs. Her last QVC appearance was by Skype interactive video over Memorial Day weekend.
A resident of coastal Boca Raton since 2005, when she bought a home on Spanish River Road, Mrs. Bice started her fashion wear after her husband, Butch, died at 42. A housewife from Wisconsin, Mrs. Bice moved herself and her two children, Tim and Lee, to Florida and began selling her wares at flea markets.
She is survived by both her children, and it appears from property records that her son lives in Delray Beach. But neither could be reached.
In 1995, Mrs. Bice broke in to the QVC market and was an immediate hit. Callers — and shoppers — loved her can-do attitude, her self-deprecating humor and her jeweled fashions.
After her death, QVC posted a eulogy on its website: “Jeanne chose to love. She loved what she did — creating Quacker Factory clothes, with ‘sparkle and shine’. Clothes that made people Happy. She loved QVC. Everything about it. She loved the people: the executives who ran it, and the production people who worked so hard to make every show perfect. She loved the famous stars who appeared there, and had to pinch herself when others considered her one.”
The New York Times dubbed her “the undisputed queen of Christmas sweaters.” But her fans — called “Quackers,” who would often quack like a duck when they called to talk to her, live, on QVC — knew the truth.
Jeanne Bice could sparkle any occasion: Valentine’s Day. Mother’s Day. Fourth of July. And how she loved to celebrate Halloween, wearing her orange and black sequins.
Mrs. Bice’s funeral was June 14 at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach.
BOCA RATON — Jeanne Bice, who took her love for glitter, paired it with a young widow’s instinct to provide for her children and then parlayed all that into QVC fame and fortune, died June 10. Mrs. Bice was 71.
While the family has not come forward with a cause of death, several of Mrs. Bice’s followers posted online tributes, mentioning that Mrs. Bice had been suffering from uterine cancer and blood clots in her lungs. Her last QVC appearance was by Skype interactive video over Memorial Day weekend.
A resident of coastal Boca Raton since 2005, when she bought a home on Spanish River Road, Mrs. Bice started her fashion wear after her husband, Butch, died at 42. A housewife from Wisconsin, Mrs. Bice moved herself and her two children, Tim and Lee, to Florida and began selling her wares at flea markets.
She is survived by both her children, and it appears from property records that her son lives in Delray Beach. But neither could be reached.
In 1995, Mrs. Bice broke in to the QVC market and was an immediate hit. Callers — and shoppers — loved her can-do attitude, her self-deprecating humor and her jeweled fashions.
After her death, QVC posted a eulogy on its website: “Jeanne chose to love. She loved what she did — creating Quacker Factory clothes, with ‘sparkle and shine’. Clothes that made people Happy. She loved QVC. Everything about it. She loved the people: the executives who ran it, and the production people who worked so hard to make every show perfect. She loved the famous stars who appeared there, and had to pinch herself when others considered her one.”
The New York Times dubbed her “the undisputed queen of Christmas sweaters.” But her fans — called “Quackers,” who would often quack like a duck when they called to talk to her, live, on QVC — knew the truth.
Jeanne Bice could sparkle any occasion: Valentine’s Day. Mother’s Day. Fourth of July. And how she loved to celebrate Halloween, wearing her orange and black sequins.
Mrs. Bice’s funeral was June 14 at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach.
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