The only daughter of Marie Kohnen and Joseph Birckel, Marie-Jeanne was born on 26 February 1936 and spent her childhood in Wiltz. The young girl studied business at the St Joseph boarding school in Ettelbruck to become an accountant.
In her second marriage, Marie-Jeanne Birckel found her marital happiness with Mathias Neuens, whom she married in 1965. The couple settled in Mamer and had two children, Jeff and Simone. The young woman's interests are varied and multiple and range from painting, reading, walking to her commitment to animal protection and politics.
Marie-Jeanne is a committed woman who distinguishes herself by her perseverance, her open-mindedness and her tolerance. Of her many activities, politics had the greatest influence on the second half of her life. Marie-Jeanne Neuens-Birckel, member of the liberal party, was the first woman member of the municipal council in Mamer in 1991. At that time, the municipality entered a turbulent period, caused by the Haebicht file. The government's plan to build an industrial landfill in Haebicht was strongly contested and led to numerous resignations and even to supplementary elections in 1992. Following the ordinary municipal elections in 1993, Marie-Jeanne Neuens-Birckel found herself on the opposition bench. She is particularly committed to equal opportunities for women and men and especially to the equal representation of women and men in political decision-making.
Re-elected in 1999, Marie-Jeanne unfortunately had to face another challenge, that of a serious illness. She died of cancer on 29 October 2002.
Source:
● Mr Jeff Neuens, son of Marie-Jeanne Neuens-Birckel.