To Jane's beloved friends and family,

We are heartbroken to say that Jane passed yesterday afternoon, May 30th, at 2:15pm, peacefully in her bed. She spent her final weeks surrounded by her family; she repeatedly said it was the best time of her life. Ron, Ellie, Lindsay (Ellie's partner), AnnieLaurie, Patch, and Sonny held her for two weeks straight, interspersed with dance parties, naps with Sonny, a wide range of hats and costumes, and a Memorial Day Parade. It was truly an endless "love fest," made possible (and named) by the love queen herself.

Jane never experienced any pain and expressed her excitement for her transition into whatever comes next. We simultaneously need to acknowledge that there were (and will be) inevitable times of sadness and grief. Last week, Jane instigated a "mad as hell" party where we got to express everything that we're mad about. This session transitioned into a "happy as heck" party where we shared our gratitude for this life together. Jane's positivity throughout her life only grew stronger during her battle with cancer. Her humor and unconditional love toward both herself and others kept us all strong through this challenging time, and changed us all forever.

One of the gifts of knowing that Jane was about to leave her body was that she could give us specific direction about how she wanted us to honor and celebrate her life. This began with an extraordinary ceremony honoring her body. Shortly after she passed, we moved her outside by the river, covered her with oil, then showered her with natural mica glitter, rose petals, feathers, and of course, confetti bombs. She has always been so beautiful, but this last process was unlike anything we have ever seen. It was magnificent.

AnnieLaurie is trying to collect photos of Jane that capture her essence. She is also specifically looking to gather pictures of Jane in her amazing costumes. If you have files you can send digitally, please email them to janewhitmer@gmail.com (we will be using her email address to gather these things). 

Jane loved flowers. Rather than sending flowers to her family, please buy yourself or a loved one flowers in her honor. She would also love for donations in her honor to go to Nurturing Parenting (a program that Jane started 15 years ago) and the Mindfulness in the Jail Program in Salida.

Nurturing Parenting
448 E 1st Street, Room 166
Salida, CO 81201

Mindfulness in the Jail Program
211 F Street
Salida, CO 81201

We are incredibly grateful for all of your generosity and amazing support. The meals, flowers, cards, messages, and assistance carried us all through. We had a fantastic hospice team, and the most supportive local doctor, PA, and nurses. Our death doula, Denise Ackert, served as the nurturing and compassionate guide that we needed through the final stages of this journey. We are so thankful for the support we received from each and every one of you along the way. Jane enjoyed being read your messages throughout and felt the love being sent her way from all over.

There will be two celebrations of Jane this summer:

Saturday, July 27, 11am
St. Paul United Methodist Church
1144 M Street
Lincoln, Nebraska

Sunday, August 4, 2pm
Salida Steam Plant
220 W Sackett Avenue
Salida, Colorado

With infinite love and gratitude,
Ron, Ellie, Lindsay, AnnieLaurie, Patch & Sonny