Jane Winne Diefendorf Simonds, of Pemaquid, passed away peacefully Sept. 20, 2024 with family by her side. She was dearly loved by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her cohort and love of her life, Francis Xavier Simonds, her husband of 62 years.
She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Feb. 28, 1928 and grew up in Manhasset, Long Island where she graduated from Manhasset High School at the top of her class. She attended Bates College and later graduated from Katherine Gibbs School. This led her to land a job working for the publisher of Time Inc. in NYC.
She met Frank on a blind date and married him in 1952 and they started raising their three children in Locust Valley, Long Island. They traveled to Webster Lake in New Hampshire for summers where they spent time swimming, blueberry picking, fishing, and making lasting memories. Jane and Frank made every day an adventure.
In 1967 Frank was transferred to California where he worked for Boy’s Life Magazine. Jane established a new life there and maintained the family’s traditions. She baked Stollen at Christmas, a recipe from her German grandmother. Chocolate sandwiches, a recipe from her Swedish grandmother, were made for picnics at the beach and there was always a stash of chocolate, walnut brownies available.
She preserved, froze, and canned vegetables from her gardens. She was always busy with a project. She was exceedingly smart, quick-witted, and a talented artist of embroidery, rug hooking, and anything else that she took interest in. She had an inordinate love of her dogs. She was still walking a dog into her 90s. Her cat, Edipus, outlived her and now resides in Rockland.
While living in California, they purchased a cottage in Pemaquid so that they could keep their connection to the east coast. What made Jane very happy was when they permanently moved to Maine in 1975. Jane worked for the Darling Center in Walpole and then went into the field of student accident insurance. She started her own, very successful, business when she was 65 years old and covered all of New England. She truly was a role model to her children and grandchildren. Through all the hardships that life presented, her resilience was her strength.
She has left her children, Frank Simonds (Bernadette Simonds), Timothy S. Simonds (Kerry Tracey), Anne M.S. Campbell, Barbara S. Tracey (James Tracey); eight grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren with many stories and happy memories.
She was greatly loved and she greatly loved back.
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