Jane H. Pellington, loved antiques
Jane H. Pellington, Millsboro, formerly of Tafton, Pa., passed away Sunday, April 16, 2023, six weeks shy of her 90th birthday. Born in Paterson, N.J., she attended Riverdale Elementary School and Butler High School in New Jersey, where she proudly received the Best Driver Award.
Following high school, she worked for Prudential Insurance Co., until her marriage to James, whom she met at age 14 at the youth group at the Pompton Reformed Church in Pompton Lakes. They were married there in 1953, by the same minister who also performed their baptisms and confirmations. Jane and Jim were looking forward to celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary in December.
Jane was known for her sweet, classy, prim and proper disposition, her love of receiving greeting cards and her never saying an unkind word about anyone. She loved antiques, especially her antiques, and would proudly show them off to anyone who would listen. She was a strong and wonderful mother whose values were demonstrated by her involvement in the PTA, Girl and Boy Scouts, and Riverdale Fire Dept. Ladies Auxiliary. She was also known for being the slowest eater at the table and savoring every morsel of food. Come dessert time, Jane would never have to decide what to have, as she would always just declare, “I’ll have a sliver of each.”
As a Navy family, Jane and Jim lived up and down the East Coast, from Norfolk, Va., where their daughter Susan was born, to Boston, Mass., where she and Jim would often take walks in the Commons. However, perhaps her biggest claim to fame was that Jane lived in three houses on the same street throughout her life, Post Lane. One was the house where she grew up, the second was the tiny first house that she and her new husband purchased and the third was the one they built when they outgrew the little house when their last child, Stephen, was born.
Although she spent many years working for Insurance companies, even taking courses to be certified to write and sell insurance policies for the Hundertmark Ins. Co. in Pompton Lakes, technology passed Jane by. She could often be heard saying, “I have never heard of such a thing,” whenever anyone described a new concept in technology. However, she did love her digital picture frame, which she kept right by her side, and which was loaded with hundreds of images of the family she loved and cherished. She would spend hours gazing at the pictures and marveling at the perfection of each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents Daniel E. Sr. and Helen A. (Arians) Sturm; and her brother Daniel E. Sturm Jr. In addition to her husband Jim, those left to mourn her loss include her children, Susan (Keith) Cummings, Beth (Don) Burke and Stephen (Andrea) Pellington; her brother, David (Carol) Sturm; her sister-in-law, Janet Pellington and her friend Sandy; six grandchildren, Sarah (Adam) Satkowski, Allison (Michael) Krysl, Chuck (Samantha) Cummings, Tracy Pellington, Matthew Evangelista and Valerie Pellington; four great-grandchildren, Emerson Satkowski, Charlie Cummings, Cora Satkowski and Cliff Cummings; and several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will take place at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 10, at Lewes Presbyterian Church, 133 Kings Hwy., Lewes, where friends and family may gather at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jane’s memory may be made to American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284, or by calling 800-242-8721, note donations should be designated to the Delaware office; or AccentCare Hospice Foundation, Attn: Dena Schwartz-Doty, 17855 N. Dallas Parkway, Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75287.
Online condolences can be made by visiting melsonfuneralservices.com.
