Jane Rockwell's Obituary
Jane Rockwell (nee Foster) was born in Philadelphia to Ethel Foster (nee Millham) and George W. E. Foster. Her childhood was spent in the towns of Wyncote and Jenkintown, PA. As a young adult she lived in Philadelphia writing copy for a local advertisement agency, where she met her husband Richard G. Rockwell of Pittsburgh, PA. Throughout her married life Jane lived in places from Chicago to New Jersey, Massachusetts to Pittsburgh PA, finally returning to settle in Massachusetts for her last years.
Jane is known as a woman of deep Christian faith. She encountered Jesus Christ in the midst of some tough times in the early 1970s and became a committed Christian. Her faith shaped the way she lived and how she regarded the world. Having become a Christian outside of a church tradition, Jane moved through different denominations as her faith grew and life circumstances changed. From the protestant New England tradition to the Episcopal Church, she found herself drawn to the mystical tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy. When she moved to North Andover in 2018 she found her way to St. Xenia’s Orthodox Church in Methuen, which became her final spiritual community and with whom she found home.
An avid reader and lover of the arts, Jane took her daughters to museums, galleries, concerts, plays, and instilled in them a deep aesthetic appreciation. She also loved finding treasures, and became a committed yard sale and thrift shop explorer. Her friends would ask her to keep an eye out for a dress style, a piece of furniture, or some unique object that could complete an outfit or a bare space in a room. When connecting with people, she would often ask ‘What are you reading?’, and conversations would flow about books and authors. Jane loved stories, and loved hearing about people’s lives. She sustained friendships throughout her many decades of life, as relationships were so important to her. She was an intent listener, even to the end. Her last months were spent in The Meadows at Edgewood Retirement Community, and many of those who cared for her spoke of her ability to ask about them and care what was going on in their lives.
Jane is pre-deceased by her husband Richard Rockwell and her cherished grandson Luke Rockwell Simpson. She is survived by her three daughters, Kristen Rockwell (Dave Gatto), Sarah Rockwell (Hays Junkin), and Anne Rockwell. Her funeral and Feast of Resurrection will take place at St. Xenia’s Orthodox Church, 170 N Lowell Street in Methuen, at 2:30 on May 5, followed by her burial in Saints Peter & Paul Cemetery
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