Jane E. Fields

Jane Elizabeth Wennemer Fields passed away on Sunday, October 30, 2022 in Lancaster, PA, from complications of vascular dementia. She is survived by her three children, Carol Fields Hagen, Paul Fields, and Peter Fields, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Jane Wennemer was born on March 21, 1934 to Gerard and Almeda Wennemer (née Smith) in Morristown, New Jersey. She attended public schools in Bernardsville, NJ, where she developed close friendships that lasted her entire life. One boy she met in elementary school, George Fields, used to drop spitballs down her collar during class. He will return to this story later. Jane’s father, who was an electrical engineer at Bell Labs, took up farming as a hobby, and bought a farm in Califon, NJ, so far out of town that Jane had to catch a train into town to go to school each day. On the farm, Jane learned to ride horses and raise turkeys. She also remembered – less than fondly – the sheep and pigs her father bought, as well as the manual clothes washer her mother used. Jane graduated from Bernards High in 1952 where she was a member of the girls’ basketball team and was voted “Class Genius.” She attended the University of Ohio for one year and then transferred to the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she earned degrees in both Education and Interior Decorating. For the next five years, she lived in Manhattan with her sister, Nancy and her close friend, Eleanor McNeil, and enjoyed the city while working as a buyer in the clothing industry. She remained friends with George Fields (of spitball fame) throughout high school, college, and his time in the Army in Germany. In 1961, they decided to get married despite the misgivings of their parents – George was Catholic, and Jane was not. (In 1961, that was a problem.) They were wiser than their parents – their happy marriage lasted 58 years until George passed away in 2019. They truly were life partners, each supporting and loving the other, with George’s outgoing nature complementing Jane’s more reserved but cerebral approach to life. Due to George’s work with Pan American World Airways, they moved repeatedly during the first years of their marriage. In Denver, Carol was born, followed by Paul while they were living in Washington, DC, and finally Peter in Charlotte, NC. Their travels took the family on to Miami, FL and Cincinnati, OH before finally settling down in Port Chester, NY. During this time, in addition to raising three small children and moving house every year or two, Jane found time for her hobbies of needlework, gardening, and piano. She also was active in the community, volunteering at local schools, as a Girl Scout leader, and then with the international exchange program AFS. Once the kids moved out, Jane took what turned out to be her favorite job as assistant to the president and owner of the newly founded Pottery Barn. During this time, Jane and George also developed their love of travel, taking the children to Spain, the Caribbean, South America, India and China. Their adventurous spirits continued to grow and later in life, their trips took the two of them to places as far-flung as the Peruvian Amazon, Tanzania, Nepal and Myanmar. After the collapse of Pan Am, Jane and George took on new careers as proprietors of a bed and breakfast. Despite having no experience, they turned out to be quite successful. They operated the Pamlico House in Washington, North Carolina from 1997 until 2004 where George was the gregarious host, and Jane was the chef and decorator. They remained in Washington, NC after their retirement from the B&B business. To celebrate their second retirement, they bought a townhome on the river, a boat, and a convertible then took a 10-week tour of the United States in their new car. Jane remained active in both the garden club where she served as president and as a docent at the Estuarium, an environmental center in town. In 2016, they decided to move to Lancaster, PA to be closer to family, and it is there they spent their last few years together exploring the countryside and enjoying family gatherings and holidays. After George’s passing in 2019, Jane became more troubled by dementia and ultimately moved into a skilled care center. Jane will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, always giving to her family and friends, whether it be fancy meals, beautiful afghans or thoughtful gifts. She was sometimes reserved but had a strong sense of right and wrong, and a desire to help those around her. While raising three kids, she and George lived a life filled with hard work, happiness, and a love of adventure, which they passed on to their children. Jane fulfilled a long-time wish and made arrangements for her body to be donated for scientific research after her death. She will be buried sometime in 2024, joining George in his family’s plot in Savannah, GA.