Martha Jane Eastman

Martha Jane Eastman, 82 ATHERTON, Calif. -- Martha Jane Eastman, 82, of Atherton, Calif., formerly of South Portland, died at her residence Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008, of pancreatic cancer. Born Feb. 26, 1926, in Portland, 'Jane' was the youngest daughter of the late Judge Herbert J. and Martha F. (Gardiner) Welch. Her elder sister, Carlene W. Parker of Portland, predeceased her in 1987. Beloved wife of Joseph S. Donnelly, Jane was the loving mother of Francesca M. Eastman and her husband Edward C. Goodstein of Atherton, Calif., and Therald C. Eastman Jr. of Santa Clara, Calif. Therald Carlton Eastman Sr., (1919-1989), president of the former Eastman Funeral Service, Inc., Boston, whom she married in 1946, was her first husband. Educated in the Portland Public Schools, Martha Jane graduated from St. Joseph's Academy, Portland, in 1944, and in 1946, from Westbrook Junior College where she majored in chemistry. In her 20s, Ms. Eastman pursued a career with Springer's, Smith-Patterson, and Long's Jewelers, serving as a watch buyer for the Jordan Marsh Company before choosing to give focus to family. An active volunteer in her children's schools, Ms. Eastman was a member of the Brookline Junior Women's Club, and designed costumes for The Amateur Players. She served as president of the Senior Guild of the Infant Savior, a Catholic Charitable Bureau of Boston auxiliary, in the late 1960s. Transitioning to a new career as a real estate broker in 1973, Ms. Eastman worked in sales for Jack Conway and Company, Inc. Realtor on Boston's South Shore and Cape Cod, where she went on to become Director of Personnel and head of the firm's first license law school. Relocating to California to be near her children in 1989, she established Kumquats, a successful interior accessories business. Martha Jane Eastman Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home & Cremation Service 775-3763 Ms. Eastman remarried in 1996, remaining on the San Francisco Peninsula with her second husband, long-time family friend Joseph Donnelly. Continuing to volunteer, Ms. Eastman dedicated her energy for several years to the library of Trinity School - Episcopal in Menlo Park, where she took delight in helping young children learn to read and discover the joy of books. Seeing the need for adult day services when her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Ms. Eastman, despite her own intensifying health issues, worked with great energy on behalf of the efforts of Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. and their Rosener House facility to address this serious family issue. Ms. Eastman is survived by a niece, Bretna (Parker) McCormack and her husband Peter of Portland; their children Alice, Kelly and Parker; and a nephew, Gary Carleton Parker of Baltimore, Md.; his sons Ryan and Chad, and Ryan's children, Jaiden and Alexa. Jane's beloved Pekingnese and companion, Mikki, misses her deeply. A Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated for Ms. Eastman at the Church of the Nativity, in Menlo Park, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. Visitation will be held Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008, at from 4 to 7 p.m., at Jones, Rich and Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland. Graveside services will held Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 at Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Ave., Boston, Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be sent in Ms. Eastman's memory to: Peninsula Volunteers 800 Middle Ave. Menlo Park, California 94025 (www.penvol.org) (650)326-0665