Obituary of Jane B. Pickering

Obituary for Jane Bowler Pickering February 25, 1936 – January 25, 2019 Jane Bowler Pickering died on January 25, 2019. She was with her beloved husband of 58 years, Dick, after a drive along the hills and harbors of Camden, Maine and a picnic together. Jane grew up on a farm called “Hillside” in Plymouth, MA with her younger brother, Robin. She earned many ribbons for her prize cows. She attended St. Mary’s-in-the-Mountains (now the White Mountain School) where she skied the granite slopes of New Hampshire. She went on to graduate from Wheelock College in Boston with a degree in early childhood education. In 1958, with her friends, Cynthia and Jean, she went west to teach kindergarten in the San Francisco bay area. While in California, she connected with east coast friends, including Dick Pickering, of Salem, MA and Ogunquit, ME. Dick and Jane courted in Carmel-by-the-Sea, listened to beatnik bands like the Kingston Trio, and drove a white convertible VW bug. After deciding to marry, Jane continued to teach while Dick served in the army in Turkey for two years. They were married at Hillside in Plymouth on August 12, 1961. Jane supported Dick in his work as faculty, soccer coach, and admissions director at the Rectory School and at Lawrence Academy, while raising three children – Tina, Rich, and Nate – and spending summers in Kennebunkport, Maine. In 1973, Dick and Jane moved to Kennebunkport year-round, and Dick worked for Tom’s of Maine. Dick and Jane traveled together for Tom’s, introducing the world to “natural” soaps, shampoos and toothpaste, while creating a home and hosting many parties and picnics on Patty’s Creek in Cape Porpoise, Maine. Together Dick and Jane moved through various enterprises – owning the Cape Porpoise hardware store, Cape Floor Finishers, and Meadowside Antiques. They moved to and restored a series of homes built in the 1700s, first in West Kennebunk and then, moving north, to 200 acres in Waldoboro where they greeted their children’s spouses and a total of seven grandchildren. In their later years, Dick and Jane moved to the shores of Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson while enjoying winters in Apalachicola, Florida. They served actively at St. Giles Episcopal Church in Jefferson and were instrumental in both fundraising and construction for the building of a new fellowship hall there. At historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola, where they made many friends, Jane worked several days a week at “Pennysworth” – Trinity Church’s thrift store. For the last few years of her life, Jane suffered from dementia. Her family deeply appreciates the care she received at Penobscot Shores in Belfast and Quarry Hill in Camden. Although she was unable to speak, she let Dick and her children and grandchildren know that she loved us and knew us until the end. Jane leaves her husband Dick Pickering, of Belfast, Maine; her daughter Tina and husband Matt, of Concord, NH; her son Rich and his wife Meg, of Saco, Maine; her son Nate and his wife Deb, of Belfast, Maine; her son from another mother Brian Harris and his wife Alison; and her beloved grands: Kaylee, Alex, Quincy, Madison, Grace, Carter, Jackson, and Sydney. She also leaves her brother Rob, and his wife Jana, of Sea Ranch CA and South Island, New Zealand, and many adored nieces and nephews. A service in memory of Jane will be held at St. Giles’ Episcopal Church in Jefferson, Maine, at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 23, 2019, with a reception to follow. Contributions in Jane’s memory may be sent to St. Giles’ Episcopal Church, PO Box 34, Jefferson, Maine 04348 or Trinity Episcopal Church, PO Box 667, Apalachicola, Florida 32329.