Jane Ruth (Manley) FitzGerald passed away peacefully, comforted by her family, on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at Maple Ridge Memory Care.
Jane was born on March 1, 1929, in Burlington, Vt., the oldest child of the late Gertrude (Mears) and James Manley Sr. (known to us as “Ma and Poppy”). She grew up in Milton, Vt., on the family farm and graduated from Milton High School in 1947. The year following graduation, she married the love of her life, John W. FitzGerald, from Fairfax, Vt. They were married on August 22, 1948, in Milton and made their first home at the old Manley family homestead on Rte. 7 in Milton. John’s early military career saw the family relocating temporarily in several states, from Texas to Florida to Maine. However, their true home always remained Vermont, and the family established their forever home on North Rd. in Milton.
In the early years of the marriage, Jane was a full-time mother to their growing family. Jane taught kindergarten/daycare in her home in the late 1960s. Once most of her children had left the nest, she worked as a library assistant and special education aide in the Milton School District. She found joy in helping children find topics that interested them in order to stimulate and develop their reading ability.
Jane thoroughly enjoyed traveling, and she and John visited numerous historical landmarks throughout the country and enjoyed viewing the beautiful landscapes along the way. Jane did most of her traveling in the passenger seat of the car, as she waited until she was in her early 50s to get her driver’s license. It was often joked that she held the record for the longest learner’s permit. Once she got her license, it was a whole new world, and she loved to “run the roads.” Jane also had the opportunity to travel with her sisters as chaperones on school-sponsored trips to Europe in the 1990s.
One of Jane’s primary interests was history, specifically the history of Milton, Vt. She and John were instrumental in founding the Milton Historical Society in 1978. Both John and Jane served as officers and dedicated much time to the organization’s activities, including home tours, band concerts and parade floats. She took a special interest in the refurbishment of the town’s cemeteries and spent countless hours organizing the cleaning and restoring of gravestones. She also served as the Museum’s director/curator for several years. One of her favorite events was the history contest that the Milton Historical Society hosted annually in the Milton School District, beginning in 1980. This combined two of her loves — history and children.
Jane’s service to her community was immense. In addition to the Historical Society, she was a member of the Milton Women’s Club, Corona Club, Order of the Eastern Stars and served as a 4-H Club leader. She was a longtime member of the United Church of Milton and was a backup organist at the church. She supported her husband in his work-affiliated organizations and was actively involved in the auxiliary organizations of the Rural Letter Carriers’ Association and the American Legion.
Jane found joy in gardening, and, as soon as spring arrived, you could find her in one of her multiple flower beds. Her beautiful flowers caught the attention and adoration of many passersby. She looked forward to when the fields of lupines she and John had started on their property would bloom each June.
Jane was elected and served as Justice of the Peace for over 20 years. She enjoyed working at the polls on Election Day and serving her community. As Justice of the Peace, she officiated wedding ceremonies for over a hundred couples from all around Northern Vermont, sometimes hosting the ceremonies at her home, and even officiating weddings for some of her grandchildren.
She loved attending the activities — musical concerts, sporting events, school plays, graduations, birthdays and weddings — of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She especially liked basketball, as it was a sport she played when she was in high school. Her defensive chant of “Hands Up!!” at basketball games was always recognizable and could be heard for the past 60 years while watching her children, grandchildren and great grand-children.
Jane loved food and feeding people! She hosted many holiday celebrations over the years, many times with gatherings exceeding 65 people. The holidays were a time we looked forward to enjoying her celebrated homemade pies and famous sweet rolls or “sticky buns.” There is no doubt these recipes, as well as many others, will carry on for generations to come.
Jane will be remembered for her wonderful and infectious smile. Throughout her life, she always loved greeting people with a welcoming smile and wave of hello. She enjoyed hearing people tell their own stories and often surprised them with a story or fact about their family history that tied into her great breadth of knowledge of Milton’s history.
She is survived by her sister Betty McLane and her husband, Alfred; her brother, James Manley Jr. and his wife, Lorraine; and her brother-in-law, Frank Bullis Sr.; along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She is also survived by her children, Daniel FitzGerald, of Milton, and his partner, JoAnn Field; Betsy Kendall, of Williston; Jill Tucker and her partner, Dean Lafont, of Fairfax; James FitzGerald, of Middlebury; and Heidi FitzGerald and her partner, George A. Wimble II, of Fletcher; her son-in-law, Brian Prendergast, of Windham, Maine; her grandchildren, Heather Clark (Jay), of Sanford, N.C.; Sean FitzGerald (Lwei Ray Moo), of Milton; Melissa FitzGerald (Nate Brooks), of South Burlington; Amy Bosworth (John), of Jericho; Stacey Rivers (Caleb), of Warren; Ashley FitzGerald (Ryan McKeever), of Milton; Dylan FitzGerald, of Highgate; Cody FitzGerald, of Milton; Jared FitzGerald (Kaylee Boutin), of South Burlington; Brent Kendall (Kerry), of Wayland, Mass.; Michelle Thompson (Gary), of Colchester; Crystal Kendall (Jack Walters), of Burlington; Jason Tucker (Kelly), of Millis, Mass.; Chad Tucker (Therese), of Highgate; Jonathan Prendergast (Kate Kelley), of Wilton, Maine; Christine Toews (Derek), of Gray, Maine; Nicholas Prendergast (Sharon), of Georgetown, Mass.; Ryan Wimble, of Colchester; and Eric Wimble, of Fletcher; and her great-grandchildren, Maddie Clark, Callen Clark, Bithiah FitzGerald, Benaiah FitzGerald, Caleb FitzGerald, Wesley Bosworth, Maci Bosworth, Finn Bosworth, Colby Rivers, Austin Livingstone, Riley Kendall, Ashley Kendall, Tyler Thompson, Meghan Thompson, Haley Kendall Walters, Liberty Kendall Walters, Abby Tucker, Ava Tucker, Logan Tucker, Landen Tucker, Charlette Tucker, Cole Prendergast, Wesley Toews, Addison Toews, Audrey Prendergast and Nolan Prendergast.
Besides her parents, Jane was predeceased by her husband, John; her daughter, Kim Prendergast; her sister, Nancy Bullis; her in-laws, Roger and Villa FitzGerald; her daughter-in-law, Tina; her sisters-in-law, Ellen Manley, Lois Arnold, Shirley FitzGerald and Sally FitzGerald; and brothers-in-law Roger FitzGerald, Walter FitzGerald and Alan Arnold.
Her children extend their sincere gratitude to the staff at Maple Ridge Memory Care for the care they provided throughout her stay.
Visiting hours will be held Friday, April 14, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Minor’s Funeral Home in Milton, Vt. A church service will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 10 a.m., at United Church of Milton, Main Street, Milton, Vermont. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jane’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association.
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2023.