Sunday, January 19, 2025
Jane F. Boers lived a full life of learning and adventure that spanned the globe and almost a century.
Jane was the daughter of John and Mary (Polzin) Knapstein. Her family ran a brewery in Jane’s hometown of New London. Jane was born on August 21, 1925, and grew up during Prohibition, the Great Depression, and graduated from high school in the midst of World War II. After graduation, she moved to what would become her favorite city, Chicago. She and her sister Ruth performed wartime service working for an office of the War Department. It was in Chicago that Jane met her husband of nearly 60 years, Robert. Together, they settled in the Chicago area. As their family grew to five children, they decided to purchase a lake home near to where Jane grew up—the beautiful Chain of Lakes in Waupaca.
Their family lived in the Chicago area before Bob’s career brought the family to New York. They settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Jane adored the social life and cultural opportunities it afforded. She and Bob attended United Nations dinners, she was a renowned hostess in her own right, and she loved bridge, played tennis, visited museums, volunteered, took classes, and so much more. Jane was fun-loving and her interests were wide and varied. She was an accomplished pianist, an amateur artist, a deft horsewoman, and lifelong learner.
From the ski slopes of Switzerland to the pyramids of Egypt, the market stalls of Singapore to museums of London, Jane loved to explore other places and cultures. Her travels took her around the globe with friends, and she took her children and grandchildren on incredible international adventures.
An avid and life-long reader, Jane was a champion of libraries. She cherished the Waupaca Public Library, serving on the board and acting as a volunteer well into her 90s. She dearly loved the friends she met there and spoke warmly and often of the dedicated and incredible library staff.
Jane passed away peacefully on December 7, 2023, and the family thanks the wonderful medical staff and hospice team at ThedaCare Waupaca for the incredible care they provided Jane.
Jane was preceded in death by her husband, brother David and sister Ruth, and sons Barclay and Barry. She is survived by many friends who cherished her company, as well as her family: sister Mary, sons Bradley and Baxter, daughter Barbara, grandchildren Kelly (Landis), Seth (Lane), and Marcia (Buege), and many nieces and nephews.
The family will be mourning privately. In lieu of flowers, they ask you make a donation to the Waupaca Library Foundation in Jane’s honor.
