Jane Hickerson

1935 - 2021

Jane Fortune Hickerson
July 24, 1935 - February 7, 2021
Jane Fortune Hickerson passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 7 en route to Sonoma Valley Hospital accompanied by her husband Glenn Lindsey Hickerson. Jane was born in San Francisco on July 24, 1935. She was the daughter of George Clephane Fortune and Helen Hind Fortune.

A naturalized American who had been born in Scotland, George Fortune was, during World War II, a major in the U. S. Army Air Corps and was posted 3 ½ years in Europe and North Africa; his brother Ernest Fortune who was to go on to be instrumental in the Normandy Landings, served simultaneously as a major in the British Army in North Africa. Their cousin, Major General Sir Victor Fortune, was a senior officer of the British Army who commanded the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division during the Battle of France who was trapped and obliged to surrender to the Germans in June, 1940. The situation was hopeless and to avert slaughter, the General surrendered himself – he was the most senior British officer captured by the Germans in the war. 10,000 men were taken off to a long and arduous captivity. Jane's first cousin once removed, Euphemia Charlton Fortune (Effie) was an American impressionist who signed her paintings E. Charlton Fortune to conceal her gender. Jane's maternal grandmother was George U. Hind, co-owner of a steamship company and a member of the Board of Regents of the University of California who came from Hawaii where Jane's mother spent early childhood years. George Hind was co-founder of The Branson School.
Jane graduated from the Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco, where she served as senior class president. She had previously attended Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon. Following high school, Jane went to London and enrolled at the School of the Three Wise Monkeys, a finishing school. During her stay in London, she was presented at court to Princess Margaret. She returned to San Francisco to make her debut at the San Francisco Cotillion in 1954. Always impeccably groomed and coiffed, Jane was described by columnist Herb Caen as "a titian haired beauty." Jane was godmother to lifelong friend Nancy Mailliard Peck's son Todd Schurz and also shared the honor with Nancy's other sons James Schurz and Alexander Peck.

After a short fashion career in California, Jane moved to Washington and worked in fashion and later for California Senator John V. Tunney. Jane met Glenn in Senator Tunney's office. They thereafter married in 1973 and Glenn moved from San Francisco to Washington to work for Marriott Corporation. Moving subsequently to Los Angeles, Jane continued to work for Senator Tunney and Glenn was a vice president for commercial aircraft sales for Lockheed and then McDonnell Douglas. In 1995 the Hickerson's moved back to San Francisco. Jane was twice the co-chair of the fund-raising Bouquets to Art event of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and served for 26 years on the board of The Heritage on the Marina, a retirement home. She belonged to the Town and Country Club.

The Hickerson's owned 4 sailboats, the last of which was the magnificent 104 foot Kalikobass II, then considered the prime sailing yacht available for charter. The Hickerson's used this yacht for adventures themselves, ranging from the waters off New England to the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Jane was a consummate hostess, making these trips truly memorable and unforgettable fun. Jane was a wonderful wife and very caring friend. She will be sorely missed.

A memorial gathering will be held following Covid 19. Donations in Jane's honor may be made to The Heritage on the Marina, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, or the Alzheimer's Foundation.