Jane Preston Elliot

Jane Preston Elliot, 88, of Oak Hill Manor Nursing Home, died on October 22, 2017. Born on June 8, 1929 in Burlington, Vermont, she was a daughter of the late Raymond Darling Preston and Helen Wilma Schillhammer and wife of John Murray Elliot.

Educated in Burlington, she met her husband when he was a graduate student and she was employed in the Dairy and Animal Science Department at the University of Vermont. Following their marriage in 1951 and move to Amherst, MA, she took a position in the Admissions Office at the University of Massachusetts. Since moving to Ithaca in 1960, she has been a dedicated and busy homemaker and volunteer, raising two sons and assisting her husband in both home and professional activities. Jane was a member of the BJ chapter of PEO for many years and enjoyed serving in a number of positions. In earlier years she was a member of the Cayuga Heights/Lansing Home Demonstration group, serving as chairperson and in several other roles. She was a hospital volunteer and for many years was a member of and volunteer assistant at the First Congregational Church. She was keenly interested in politics, supported the League of Women Voters in her early years in Vermont, and more recently often served as an election inspector. Jane was known in the community as a good neighbor and a fine hostess and devoted many hours to the care and wellbeing of elderly friends. She was one of a small, dedicated group of older women who exercised together for many years.

Jane was an avid and eclectic reader and had a particular passion for nature, especially birds and flowers. She could find peace and serenity in an English country garden, a bird sanctuary, or her own back yard. Over the years, she traveled to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii, Canada, and many parts of the continental U.S. Always a fan of a sunny clime, she enjoyed winters in Florida and summer visits to Cape Cod.

She is survived by her husband, John Murray Elliot, two sons, John (Mary) of Binghamton, NY and Douglas of Ithaca, and by several cousins, a niece and a nephew, and step-grandchildren.

The family would like to express thanks to the staff and volunteers at Oak Hill Manor Nursing Home for their expert and compassionate care during Jane's time there, which enriched the quality of her life significantly.

There will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be announced later. Interment will be in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst, MA, at the convenience of the family. Bangs Funeral Home is assisting the family.