OBITUARY: Jane Peacock Kirkbride

December 15, 2017

By Marcy Shortuse

Harriette (Jane) Peacock Kirkbride died peacefully on December 3, 2017 at Shell Point in Ft. Myers, Fla. She was born on February 18, 1923 in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was a former resident of New Canaan, Conn., of Keene Valley, N.Y. and Boca Grande. Jane graduated from The Cathedral School of St. Mary in Garden City, N.Y. […]

Harriette (Jane) Peacock Kirkbride died peacefully on December 3, 2017 at Shell Point in Ft. Myers, Fla. She was born on February 18, 1923 in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was a former resident of New Canaan, Conn., of Keene Valley, N.Y. and Boca Grande.
Jane graduated from The Cathedral School of St. Mary in Garden City, N.Y. and was stationed in the Philippines as a member of the Red Cross before beginning a career in advertising sales in New York City.
A remarkable woman, Jane pursued her love of the arts in many ways. An innovative designer of golf and tennis apparel in the 1960s, she followed that with a passion for gardening and received a degree in landscape design from the New York Botanic Garden, then launched her own landscape design business.
Jane was president of the New Canaan Garden Club in the 1970s and won the Fenwick Medal from the Garden Club of America for flower arranging in 1982. Once she became a Florida resident, Jane took up pastels, and her inspiration flourished in both there and the Adirondacks where she spent more than 60 summers.
A long-time member of the Ausable Club, Jane shared her creative talents as head of the House Committee in the 1990s. In 1998, she moved to the Shell Point Retirement Community where she resided until her death. Jane will be remembered as an avid traveler, excellent cook, task master, and elegant hostess who loved entertaining family and friends. She was a link across generations and will be sorely missed.
Jane was preceded in death by her husband, David Brooks Kirkbride, and her four siblings. She is survived by her three children, Dena Anne Kirkbride (Trip) Bellows, Franklin Butler Kirkbride, and Stirling Brooks Kirkbride. She was the adored and adoring grandmother of Story Kirkbride (Ron Banaszek) Bellows and Whitney Butler Bellows (James) Ellis, great grandmother of Alexander Story Ellis, and aunt to many nieces and nephews.
Do a good deed, enjoy a garden, share some flowers, take a walk in nature, or make a donation to the Ausable Club Preservation Foundation, care of the Ausable Club, St. Huberts, NY 12943 in memory of Jane.
A memorial service will be held on July 21, 2018, at the Ausable Club.