Jane Albert Willens

June 2, 1946 - December 1, 2023 Jane Albert Willens unexpectedly passed away on November 30 at the age of 77 in her Los Angeles home.

Daughter of famed Stanford and 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert and Martha Albert, "Janie" (as she was called during those years) inherited her father's winning spirit, capturing her first national title in tennis at age 14 and becoming the youngest ever California State triple crown holder. She debuted at Wimbledon at age 16 on Centre Court, then reached the quarterfinals there in 1965. She represented the U.S. in the 1966 Wightman Cup with doubles partner Billie Jean King, also winning numerous collegiate doubles titles for Stanford University with her partner and lifelong friend Julie Anthony. Janie fittingly capped her tennis career by winning two gold medals at her last event, the Pan American Games, in 1967. She subsequently became the first woman inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame, joining her father, and was later also inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

Following her tennis career, Jane married and devoted time to her three children. She then bravely decided to change her path. She returned to school and graduated with a Master's Degree from the USC School of Social Work. As a social worker, Jane demonstrated profound compassion and applied the same discipline and commitment to her work as she had exhibited in her tennis career. In 1993, her first position as an MSW was as a therapist at the Rape Treatment Center at what was then Santa Monica Hospital. She then moved to Palo Alto where she worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Stanford Hospital. In 2008, Jane returned to the Rape Treatment Center where she continued her extraordinary work with rape victims until the day she died, always claiming that the next year was going to be the year she retired. Jane was a truly gifted therapist. She was also an outstanding role model, supervisor, teacher and colleague for all who worked with her.

Jane's devotion to her life-changing work with victims of sexual assault was beyond measure due to her profound empathy, humility, kindness, modesty, and gentle manner. Few outside of her family ever learned about her athletic feats. And, even those closest to her did not fully grasp how many lives she affected, and how deeply, through her long-time work as a therapist at the Rape Treatment Center following her tennis career. Since her passing, Jane's friends and family have been overwhelmed by the incredible outpouring of heartfelt messages they have received.
Jane is survived by her three children, Heather, Sara and Jake; her five adoring grandchildren, Cooper, Grace, Charlie, Sasha and Ryan; her loving sister, Nancy James; her beloved Labrador, Maddie and her trusty tortoise, Socrates.

She was dearly loved by all and will be missed beyond words.