Jane Elizabeth Knowlton

1955 - 2020

Jane Elizabeth Knowlton

Jane Elizabeth Knowlton, 65, of Alexandria, Virginia and Shelburne, Vermont, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. She was born in Albany, New York on July 9, 1955, the daughter of Anne Obenshain Knowlton and the late Richard William Knowlton, and grew up in Urbana, Ohio. Jane graduated from the Kingswood School (now part of Cranbrook Schools) in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, then earned a Bachelors Degree in English at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. After graduation, Jane spent a year in London, England, as an au pair, then returned to Urbana as a feature writer journalist at the Urbana Daily Citizen newspaper. Jane truly loved working for a small town paper, where she was able to cover a little bit of everything—economics, religion, police, society and the arts. She wrote sports stories, too, but only under duress.

In 1983, she was recruited by Wright Patterson Air Force Base to be a public affairs specialist. After a three year stint at WPAFB, she was asked to move to Washington DC, where she spent the next 15 years working in public affairs for the US Air Force. Among other assignments, Jane was the Editor of Research Highlights, a publication of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This publication profiled innovative research performed by AFOSR-sponsored scientists, research which brought together some of the most brilliant and creative scientific minds in the US and abroad. Jane's interest in conservation led her to switch gears and join the US Forest Service, where she spent the rest of her government career. She became the key liaison between several inter-departmental agencies, focusing on America's National Wilderness Preservation System. She was instrumental in covering the risk of forest fires throughout the western United States. Jane was a meticulous researcher, with a precise journalistic style. She won numerous awards for her creative and inspiring journalistic features throughout her career. Jane's outside passions included photography, weaving, and worldwide travel.

Jane maintained her home in Alexandria VA, but her heart and soul for the past several years have been in Shelburne, VT. Jane was well known to the residents of The Gables and merchants in Shelburne, where she always had a welcoming smile and offered a ready hand to help in any way. She loved her strolls through Shelburne Farms, long workouts with the great staff of the Shelburne Athletic Club, and many fine dinners at The Bearded Frog, Cucina Antica, Roots, Starry Night, Paulines and Leunig's. One could also find Jane on many weekends exploring the antique stores along Route 7.

Jane is survived by her mother, Anne, of Shelburne, Vermont, brother David (Barbara) of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, brother Eric of Birmingham, Michigan, brother Andy (Stacy) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 3 nieces, 3 nephews, her beloved uncle William Obenshain and his wife Penny, of Chicago, Illinois, and cherished aunts and cousins. A scholarship is being established at Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in Jane's honor.