Jill Ellen Guerin

Jill Ellen Guerin, 67, passed away on April 19, 2026 at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, TX.  She was born on March 10, 1959, in New Castle, Indiana to James and Jean Woodward.

Jill graduated from Walter P. Chrysler Memorial High School in New Castle, Indiana in 1977.  After high school, she enlisted in the United States Army and served for over 3 years with the Military Police.  She was honorably discharged in 1982, so she could raise her two sons, Jason and Antoni.  

Jill graudated Summa Cum Laude from Columbus College in Columbus, Georgia in 1993, and continued her education at Texas A&M University - Central Texas where she completed her Masters in Education in 2010.  She began teaching at Copperas Cove Junior High School in Copperas Cove, Texas in 1994.  She continued to work for the Copperas Cove school district until she retired in 2020.  Over those 26 years her roles included reading and language arts teacher, campus instructional coordinator, instructional coach, director of secondary education and director of post-secondary readiness.

Jill battled cancer for 12 years and fought hard until the last minute.  She had incredible perseverance and grit and stayed positive and upbeat throughout.  She was an avid reader and lover of animals.  It was not uncommon fo her to listen to one book as she drove to work, then read a different book on the couch and a third in bed.  She rescued many animals over the years, and spared no expense in their treatment and care, a trait she shared with her mother Jean.  She also loved being active and frequently competed in various 5k and half marathon races with friends and family.  She had completed a half marathon in 47 states, with Wisconsin, Connecticut and Hawaii planned for later this year.  She loved to travel and spent much of her time in recent years visiting France, Italy, Dubai, Portugal, Ireland, and Peru, and made sure to buy a Starbucks cup from each stop.

Jill is survived by her four siblings: Kathy Woodward of Florida, Susan Yurchak (husbnd John) of Virginia, Kelly Woodward (wife Mari) of Texas and Emily Longueira (husband Rick) also of Texas; two sons, Jason Guerin of Texas and Antoni Guerin (wife Laura) also of Texas; two grandchildren, Tucker and Jett Guerin, of Texas.

Jill was preceded in death by her parents, James and Jean Woodward.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks memorial donations to be made to Alive and Kick'n for Lynch Syndrome research at https://www.aliveandkickn.org/donate-now or to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research at https://www.michaeljfox.org 

Services will be planned at a later date.