Jane Elizabeth Grunder Rowe died on February 29, 2008 following a courageous three year battle with cancer.  Jane is survived by her sons:  Eric, David, Daniel, and Alan; grandchildren: Sarah, Elizabeth and Stephen Rowe, and Buz and Jessica Sawyer; a great grandchild:  Sylvie Sawyer Kaminsky; her sister:  Margaret Maresca; and her daughters-in-law: Karen Rowe, Pamela Camerra-Rowe and Laurie Rowe. Jane was preceded in death by her husband Chuck in 1982, and by her sister Connie in 2001.

     Jane’s life was defined by a deep compassion for others that she expressed through a multitude of volunteer activities.  While her boys were young, Jane served as a Cub Scout Den Mother.   She was recognized as the 1990 Volunteer of the Year for the Buncombe County Literacy Program.  Jane was also active in various ministries within the Asheville Buncombe County Christian Ministry (ABCCM) serving as its president and working in its homeless shelter.

     Jane was highly dedicated to St. Marks Lutheran Church.  She sang in the choir, served as the President of the church council on two occasions, founded its archives committee and was a driving behind the church’s Toothsaver’s campaign.

     Jane was also a legendary lover of cats.  For each of the past thirty-six years, at least one stray cat has called Jane’s house home.

     Jane leaves behind a loving family and church community who will miss her wit and compassion, but they have all been blessed by her life.  Jane refused to let cancer define her life and displayed a deep concern for others until the very end.

     Jane was born in Puyallup, Washington on March 11, 1934, the second daughter of Maynard and Betty Grunder.  Maynard was an agronomist for the Washington State Extension Service and Betty was the curator at the museum in Puyallup.

     World War II began when Jane was 7 years old.  Jane’s father was drafted into the Army to determine how to re-populate the soil with plants after widespread warfare.  While her father was in the Army, Jane moved around the country, living  in California, Michigan, South Dakota, before returning to Puyallup at the end of the war.

     Jane graduated from Puyallup High School Class in 1952.  She attended Washington State College for two years, before transferring to Oregon State College , where she earned a degree in Secretarial Science.  

     While attending Oregon State, she spent a summer working at Crater Lake National Park.  Within a week after arriving at Crater Lake, she met her future husband, Chuck, a ranger stationed there.  On May 2, 1957, Jane and Chuck were married. 

     Because of Chuck’s work as a ranger, Jane lived and raised her family in national park areas around the country:  Death Valley National Park (California), Petrified Forest National Monument (Arizona) where she bore Eric and David, Bandelier National Monument (New Mexico) where she bore Daniel and Alan, Cape Cod National Seashore (Massachusetts), Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky), Harpers Ferry National Historic Park (West Virginia), and finally the Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina). 

     Before retiring ten years ago, Jane held administrative positions for Kelly Girl; an Asheville-based law firm; The Grove Park Inn; and the Grove Arcade.

     Jane’s funeral will be held at St. Marks Lutheran Church, 10 North Liberty Street, Asheville on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 2:00 PM with Pastor Christopher Webb officiating. The family will receive friends and well-wishers at a visitation from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday at Morris Funeral Home, located at 304 Merrimon Avenue in Asheville.  She will be interned at Lewis Memorial Park where she will rest in peace next to her husband.

     In lieu of flowers, Jane and her sons have requested that donations be made in her honor to ABCCM.