Jane M. Uscilka

Northfield Jane M. Uscilka Jane Marie Uscilka, 60, a longtime resident of Northfield died at her home on Friday, July 10, 2015. Jane was born in Boston, Massachusetts, February 15, 1955, the oldest daughter and child of the late John Peter Uscilka and Norma Kathleen (Smallwood) Diebitsch. She spent her childhood and youth in Old Lyme, Connecticut, where the Uscilka family lived. She went to Mile Creek Elementary School and graduated high-school from the Kent School for Girls, in Kent, Connecticut. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Vassar College, where she graduated cum laude. Jane loved literature, and her vocation was in writing and publishing. For many years, she worked as the managing editor for The Partisan Review, published by Boston University. Later, she worked as a freelance editor and writer on several publications. She researched, wrote, and edited, The Newburyport Black Heritage Trail, Searching for African American History in Newburyport, published in 2002. She also helped to edit the book, People Intoxicate Me: A Memoir, by Margaret Thurston Holt, published in 2005. Other publications, she helped to edit include, The Creative Edge: Emerging Individualism in Japan, by Kuniko Miyanaga, published in 1993, and A Fatal Embrace? Assessing Holistic Trends in Human Resources, by Frank W. Heuberger and Laura L. Nash, published in 1994. Jane was also a Friend of the Newburyport Library and worked in public relations. Jane enjoyed living on the land in New Hampshire and at times, continued her father�s interest in gardening by growing a vegetable garden and flowers. She was an avid reader and enjoyed reading novels, magazines, and newspapers, including The New Yorker. She had a love for Newburyport, Massachusetts, and lived there at different times in her life. She admired President Barack Obama and often spoke of his accomplishments. When she was younger she enjoyed taking care of and riding horses. She loved the ocean and liked taking her siblings to White Sands Beach in Old Lyme, Connecticut. One of her favorite outings was taking the train to FAO Schwartz in New York City to buy Christmas presents for her family. Jane is survived by her five siblings and several nieces and nephews, including John W. Uscilka, his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, Alison and Bethany, of Ogden, Utah; Mary J. Uscilka and her life partner, Jeanie Bunker, and their children, Philip B. Arsenis, Laura A. Arsenis, and Adares U. Serrett of Pleasant Hill, California; Mark J. Uscilka of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts; Joel M. Uscilka of Denver, Colorado, and his children, Megan and Joshua; and Peter S. Uscilka of Lubbock, Texas, and his wife, Michelle. She is also survived by her close friend, Thurston Holt, of Norman, Oklahoma, and his two daughters, Megan and Sally; and several cousins and family in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including Wayne Crowley and his wife, of Northfield, New Hampshire; Debbie (Poire) Magee and her family of Nashua, New Hampshire; Pat Sena and her husband, Fred, of Groveland, Massachusetts; Thomas Dawkins and his wife, Diana, and son Tommy; and close family friends in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Jane�s service will take place on Friday, August 7th, at 10 am, at St. Paul�s Catholic Church of St. Gabriel Parish, 106 School St., Franklin, New Hampshire, with a lunch reception to follow, at the Greenside Restaurant, 360 Laconia Rd., Tilton, New Hampshire. She will be buried on Saturday, August 8th, at 11 am, at the Riverview Cemetery in Groveland, Massachusetts. The William F. Smart Sr. Memorial Home of Tilton is assisting with arrangements. Donations can be made in Jane�s memory to the New Hampshire Public Radio and the Newburyport Library of Newburyport, Massachusetts.