Jane W. Ross

It is with a heavy heart that we share that Jane Woodworth Ross, who brought joy, energy, and plenty of laughter to so many for nearly 91 years of life, left us suddenly on August 28, 2025. If you knew Jane, you knew a woman who never sat still, never stopped smiling, and never once got bored. She took her own mother's motto very seriously: "Only boring people get bored."

A child of the Great Depression, Jane always made sure to have at least a year's supply of canned and paper goods in her basement, which served her well during the pandemic. She taught us all through her example that it was far more important to go out and live your life than to stay in and clean your house.

Born in Springfield, MA, Jane grew up in Longmeadow, graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in Chemistry, and promptly set about proving she could do just about anything. She excelled in everything she tried, including figure skating, bridge, tennis, and gardening. She volunteered as an EMT, square danced, rescued greyhounds and traveled the world.

She shared 34 wonderful years with her husband, Dr. Lawrence Ross, who she met while playing bridge. Larry was completing a PhD program and Jane was a research assistant in the Chemistry Department at Rutgers. Together they raised three children, Larry Jr., Julie, and Fred, in a lively, love-filled home where card games, camping trips, homemade pizza, and gatherings with extended family and friends were regular occurrences. After Larry's retirement, they traveled extensively with a group of friends they dubbed the "Happy Wanderers."

Years after Larry's too-early death, she found another great love and adventure partner in Dave Carter. Their companionship spanned more than a decade, until Dave's passing, during which they danced often, played bridge and board games, and enjoyed visits with their extended family and friends. They traveled the world together, once having to be rescued by military helicopter from Machu Picchu after landslides washed out the roads. Jane packed several lifetimes into one.

A fierce but gracious competitor, Jane excelled in tennis throughout her life, earning a national ranking (and a USTA silver ball) well into her 70s. But whether on the court, at the card table, or square dancing with the Bee-Sharp club, she always prioritized fun and friendship. She was happiest surrounded by family, friends, her beloved rescue greyhounds, caring neighbors, and even the birds in her backyard.

Jane started what became a family tradition of spending several weeks each summer on Cape Cod, building lasting memories. She selected the location to be near her brother and sister-in-law, where all her children and their spouses, their dogs, and ultimately, her grandchildren, spent time building strong family connections. Recognizing that life can change at any moment, we are especially grateful that we had the entire family at the Cape just weeks ago.

After suffering a stroke in 2023, Jane believed that God still had work for her to do in this world and embraced the opportunity to participate in a research study on stroke recovery therapy at JFK Johnson Medical Center. She was able to fulfill her wish to stay in her home throughout her recovery with the help of Delores, her weekday aide who became a treasured companion. With her typical determination and optimism, Jane worked hard to regain her pre-stroke strength, meeting her goal of getting back to square dancing within a few months. She danced the night before she died.

Jane is survived by her three children, Larry Jr., Julie (Bill Winter), and Fred (Laurie), and her four beloved grandchildren, Jonathan, Christopher, and Stephanie Ross and Jake Winter. She will be sorely missed by a wide extended family, including her sister-in-law Polly Woodworth, nieces Ann Savastano (Tom) and Meg Nam (Edwin), nephew Chris Woodworth (Emily), six great nieces and nephews, and her companion Dave's children, Dave, Louise, Anna and Chris, along with their extended families.

We will all miss her vivacious spirit. She was curious, kind, optimistic, intelligent, and energetic, embracing and learning from life's twists and turns. She was a role model for us all, and her wit and wisdom will carry on through her grandchildren, grand nieces and nephews and beyond.

A memorial service will be held in the coming weeks at a date and location still to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, The Seeing Eye, or the Church of the Holy Cross, North Plainfield.