Jane Peiffer

Jane Sarah Peiffer passed peacefully surrounded by her family on Monday the 4th of April, 2016 at her home in Tucson, Arizona. She was a former resident of Corry and Erie, Pennsylvania, and New Bern, North Carolina.

Born in 1922 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, she was the loving daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States from Great Britain.

Jane received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Edinboro State Teachers College (now Edinboro University of Pennsylvania). Active in her sorority, drama and art, she later married her college sweetheart William A. Peiffer (who predeceased her in 2002). One of Jane’s loving memories was the time she and Bill carved their initials onto an old oak tree on campus. Bill received his commission as a naval officer in 1941 and two years later Bill and Jane were married in Miami, Florida. As a newlywed, Jane followed Bill from his service in the Atlantic, to the Pacific and taught school in Florida and the State of Washington.

Jane taught elementary school in both Corry and Erie and later worked as a counselor with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. She was a community volunteer for many years and gave her time and talents to hospitals, churches, and many not-for-profit organizations. Jane’s love of family and her strong spiritual faith was foremost in her life, but her passion for politics, social issues, the environment, and the dignity of others was very important to her.

Being in her grandson’s life brought great joy to Jane as they would often swing on her back porch while she sang the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling. Jane loved nature and was an avid gardener who especially loved her magnolias and hydrangeas. She had a gift for singing and playing the mandolin. Jane was an accomplished artist having won various awards for her water colors and oil paintings. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends.

Jane is survived by her daughter, Dee Peiffer Kaufman and grandson, Jacob of Tucson, AZ and her son William A. Peiffer, Jr. (Linda), of Corry PA.

Memorial gifts may be made to the charity of one’s choice.

Burton Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 602 West 10th Street, Erie, PA 16502 has been entrusted with arrangements. Services will be held Tuesday, April 12, 2016 from 10:00 AM-11:00 AM, with an 11:00 AM religious service. Interment will be held at Venango Cemetery, Venango, PA.