Jane King Marvin

Jane passed away peacefully of natural causes at her home in South Burlington, VT on August 22, 2013. Jane was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the only child of Della and Harmon King. She grew up in Minneapolis and Edina, MN, graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Occupational Therapy. During high school and college she worked for Pillsbury Settlement House and at a recreation field on Skid Row in North Minneapolis.

After graduating from college, Jane entered military service with the Women's Specialists Service Corp. of the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant. She was stationed at Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan and Valley Forge VA Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. In 1952 she met her future husband, J. Richard Marvin, as members of the chorus in a community theater production of "Anything Goes" in Battle Creek. She married Richard on April 24, 1954, the same year that she was discharged from the Army as a First Lieutenant.

Jane and Rich had two children, Richard and Elizabeth. The family lived in several states, finally settling in Philadelphia, PA in 1963. Jane worked as an O.T. at The Home of the Merciful Savior, the University of Pennsylvania, the County School for the Handicapped, and Montgomery County Retarded Children (MARC) where she worked with infants (her favorite job). She also attended night school at Temple University, receiving her Master's degree in Special Education. Her last job in Philadelphia was as Director of Occupational Therapy at All Saints Hospital in Chestnut Hill, PA.

Jane and Rich were divorced in 1980, and she moved to California to be close to her cousin Marge and her Aunt Myrtle and Uncle Fred Kibler. Jane continued her work as an Occupational Therapist, first in the Bay Area and then in Los Angeles. She worked for two years writing and then publishing the Occupational Therapy Guidelines for the State of California. In 1994 she moved to Williston, Vermont where she worked in private practice. She lived in Williston until moving to senior housing in South Burlington in 2009.

Jane was passionate about living a life of service. She was a fiercely driven, feisty, and opinionated woman, whose goal in life was to help others improve their lives. Jane was active in her VT community, joining many committees and working as a Guardian Ad Litem. She enjoyed flower gardening and had close relationships with the staff at Gardener's Supply. She also enjoyed the intellectual stimulation and social activity of playing bridge, and she loved listening to operas. Jane never missed a sporting or cultural event that her granddaughters participated in and she was proud of and devoted to all of her grandchildren. She was a long time member of Germantown United Methodist Church in Philadelphia and other Methodist and Congregational churches throughout her life. Jane always looked beautiful; she took great pleasure in coordinating her wardrobe with her jewelry and being fastidious with her hair and make-up. She never, ever wore white after Labor Day.

Jane is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Marvin and granddaughters Leah and Erin Marvin-Riley in Vermont, and her son Richard Marvin, daughter-in-law Susan Marvin, and grandsons Michael and Matthew Marvin in Los Angeles, CA.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at Allenwood at Pillsbury Manor, 90 Allen Rd South Burlington, VT. Jane will be interred in the family plot in Cavalier, North Dakota on September 7, 2013, where her parents and extended family are also interred.

Jane's family would like to thank the residents and staff of Harborview and Allenwood senior communities for sharing Jane's last few years. She enjoyed their care and companionship.

In lieu of flowers, Jane requested that donations be made to the March of Dimes,
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605. http://www.marchofdimes.com