Jane K. Larsen

1936 - 2023

Jane K Larsen Jane Larsen, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, and friend, passed away in Marshfield, MA on May 23rd, 2023. She was eighty-six.

Jane is survived by her brother "Bill" (Caroline) Kemmerer of Radner, PA, children Richard (Roberta) Larsen of Marshfield MA, Cynthia (Ford) Bartholow of Bluffton, SC, Donald (Kimberly) Larsen of Seattle WA, as well as nephew David (Leslie) Kemmerer, and niece Beth (Scott) Vincent and grandchildren Alexander Larsen, Hannah Larsen, Andrew Bartholow, and Daniel Larsen. She is preceded in death by her parents Dr. Donald L. and Mirjane S. Kemmerer and her husband of 65 years, George A. Larsen.

Jane was born November 20th, 1936, in Princeton, NJ. After graduating from Uni High in Urbana, IL she attended Monticello College and then the University of Illinois. While there she met and later married George A Larsen in 1957. The couple initially resided in New York. Relocating several times, they lived in White Bear Lake, MN, Champaign IL, then eventually Papillion, NE in the suburbs of Omaha.

Often traveling the world with her parents, Jane became a gifted and prolific wordsmith of letters. During an extended trip throughout western Europe in 1956, she chronicled the entire adventure in postcards (and dare we call them love letters) exchanged daily between her and her then-suitor, George Larsen. She loved travelling with her family and recorded her adventures in eloquent and entertaining prose.

Like her father, she also had a love of photography. In the days before digital, she was very particular in how she composed her pictures, accepting of the fact that an entire roll of 24 prints may only yield 1 or 2 great images.

Her passion though, was dogs. She and her husband shared a love of competing in American Kennel Club (AKC) dog shows both in the US and Canada. The family cabin in Ontario, Canada was a shared retreat. It brought George for the fishing and Jane for the dog shows.

She was an avid trainer of Basenjis. A photograph of one of her dogs, Kwilu, was transformed into a painting that became the representative image of the tri-color version of that breed, for years available as a postcard in vendor booths at regional, national, and international dog shows.

Eventually she became enamored with training dogs for more athletic endeavors. German Shepards and Doberman Pincers were schooled over jumps and taught to do directed retrieving and scent discrimination. Still a skilled photographer, the Basenjis, Dobies, German Shepards, then eventually Long-Haired Dachshunds became the subjects for most of her camera work. Under her tutelage, her Long Haired Dachshunds championed both in the show ring and field and tracking trials; AKC sanctioned competitions that allow Dachshunds to display their hunting instincts.

Jane was a staunch advocate for responsible pet ownership. Her children were often enrolled to spend hours with puppies socializing them to be loving, confident and well adjusted. Anyone who was lucky enough to be a recipient of one of her dogs got her in the bargain as a lifelong friend and advocate for the dog.

Jane's most treasured accomplishment was that of being an amazing mother. She always found time to catch her children being good and praised them to reinforce those behaviors and foster their self-confidence. She set limits and stuck to them. She loved her children unconditionally. Jane could have authored a book on dog training applied to kids. It would have been a best seller.

A celebration of life will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to Best Friends Animal Society or an animal shelter of your choice.