Jane Tidwell Mayer

1932 - 2023

Jane was born Jane Yvonne Kirby in Lafayette, La., on August 29, 1932, and she died on December 12, 2023, in Fremont, Calif.

She was a 1950 graduate of Neville High School in Monroe, La., where she made lifelong friends. She earned a Commercial Studies degree in 1954 from Mississippi Southern College in Hattiesburg (now The University of Southern Mississippi). She worked for a variety of firms, including the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and WDSU Television in New Orleans.

In 1958, Jane married David L. "Dave" Mayer, Jr., in Woodville, Miss. The newlyweds moved to Little Rock, Ark., where their children were born. His career necessitated several moves, which she supervised. These included a brief residence in Naperville, Ill., where the winter was far too cold for her southern bones. The family subsequently relocated to Nashville, Tenn., and later to Shreveport, La., which was closer to family and warmer temperatures.

A lifelong believer in the accessibility of knowledge, she re-entered the workforce as a World Book Encyclopedia sales person. In 1977, the family moved to Kingwood, Texas, where Jane became a successful real estate broker first with Forestwood Realty, and later with ReMax Associates of Kingwood.

She loved antiquing, and she enjoyed decorating her home with the treasures she found almost as much as she enjoyed gardening. Having been raised in the wake of the Great Depression, Jane was always cautious in financial matters and never assumed that today's resources would be tomorrow's.

After their children were grown, Jane and Dave continued to enjoy traveling together, and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a cruise in 2008. Jane remained in Kingwood until 2014, when she moved to Fremont to be closer to her daughter.

Her husband, Dave passed away in 2008, and Jane was also preceded in death by her loving mother, Dorothy "Dot"; and adoring stepfather, Arthur "Bud" Tidwell. She is survived by her son, David Mayer III of Silver Spring, Md.; daughter, Janet and husband, Jim Birt of Fremont; and grandchildren, Eli, Nathan, and Ari Mayer, and Adam and Alison Birt.

The family gratefully acknowledges the care provided by Aegis of Fremont, during the past years. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. Services will held at a later date in Kingwood at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd where Jane and Dave were parishioners for more than 30 years. Her remains will be interred with his in the parish columbarium.