Jane Varnum (Nethercut), of Winchester, MA, 85, died peacefully on January 10, 2013, surrounded by her family.

Beloved wife of the late William H. Varnum, loving mother to Carol Burdick and her husband, Glenn of Winchester, MA and James Varnum and his wife Lisa of Munster, IN. Treasured Grandmother of Joshua Burdick, Elizabeth Kate Varnum, and Ben Varnum. Beloved sister of Howard Nethercut and his late wife, June. Treasured aunt to their children Glen, Paul, and Sara.

A public memorial service will be held at the Parish of the Epiphany in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either Monhegan Associates Inc. (P.O. Box 97, Monhegan ME 04852 or www.monheganassociates.org) or the Parish of the Epiphany (70 Church St., Winchester, MA 01890).

Growing up during the Depression, Jane often said that she lived in every small town in Wisconsin before attending the University of Wisconsin High School and the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Soon after college, she married fellow Badger Bill Varnum and then moved to Colorado, where she spent the next 40 years. While in Colorado, she lovingly raised her children, Carol and Jim, and worked as a librarian in the Cherry Creek School System before concluding her working career as a Xerox Customer Service Representative in Denver and Lexington, MA.

Following Bill's passing, Jane moved in with her daughter and family in Winchester during 1988. Affectionately known as Ahma to her grandchildren, whom she loved unconditionally, her vivid descriptions of family history made the people of past generations come to life. She summered on Monhegan Island, ME for 70 years where she was truly woven into the fabric of the community and enjoyed spending her days voraciously reading, caning stools, knitting, quilting, hooking rugs, and supporting various Monhegan institutions through extensive volunteerism. She also was an enthusiastic participant in book clubs in both Denver and Winchester. Always an animal lover, she owned over 20 cats in her lifetime.

Despite a stroke in 1999 that left her with little function on her left side, Jane traveled to rustic Monhegan Island every summer with nary a complaint. Her substantive physical challenges notwithstanding, Jane was universally admired for her unrelenting bravery, determination and willingness to be heard.