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Obituaries

Jane Coleman Blair

Jane Blair is pictured on the left.

Mrs. William D. Blair Jr. (Jane F. Coleman) of Washington and Vinalhaven, ME, died on October 30, 2015, at home in Washington.

 

Jane was born in New York to Mr. and Mrs. Leighton Hammond Coleman (Jane Fraser). She attended the Brearley School and Bryn Mawr College, eventually earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from American University. She taught history before assuming the position of Director of Admissions at the Stone Ridge School in Bethesda, MD.

 

Jane loved gardening, nature, traveling, backpacking, sailing, tennis, and reading. She promoted the importance of conservation and education, and volunteered for numerous years with the Vinalhaven Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Naturalist Society. Jane was also a dedicated volunteer and board member of the American Councils for International Education, and of Youth for Understanding. Additionally, she served as a board member of the Hillcrest Children’s Center; the Historical Society of Washington, DC; Meridian House International; the municipality of Chevy Chase Village; the Visiting Nurse Association; and the 1925 F Street Club. She was an active member of the Chevy Chase Club, the Metropolitan Club, and the Junior League of Washington, DC, which first integrated its membership during her presidency in the late 1960s.

 

Jane is survived by her daughters, Jane Blair Gelston of Mount Pleasant, SC, and Elizabeth Blair Jones of Bethesda; granddaughters Jennifer Gelston, Kerry Tarmichael, Eliza Jones, and Kate Jones; her twin sister, Helen Coleman Evarts, and sisters Sally Woodworth and Prudence Sellars. Jane was predeceased by Mr. Blair, her husband of 57 years; her parents; and brother Leighton H. Coleman Jr. A memorial service was held at the Bethlehem Chapel of the Washington National Cathedral on November 12, 2015.

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