Jane Waddell Baker, 81, of North Andover, Massachusetts and formerly of New Canaan, Connecticut, died on February 5, 2021 after a brief illness. Jane was called Janie by family and oldest friends and AJ by nieces and nephews. She was born in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1939, the youngest of three children of Irene (Boehm) and James Waddell. Jane grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. She attended Tower Hill School and graduated from Emma Willard School and Wellesley College.
Jane earned her private pilot’s license in 1956 at age 17, before she was licensed to drive a car. She had enormous respect for her flight instructor, Henry Lopez, referring to him throughout her life whenever the topic of excellent educators arose. Jane particularly delighted in telling the story of a (male) student saying to Henry, ‘You’re teaching a girl?’ to which Henry replied, ‘You should watch her landings. They’re better than yours.’
Jane married Charles W. Baker III (called Terry) in 1959, and they settled in Greenwich, Connecticut. The marriage eventually ended, but Jane stayed in Greenwich and raised their daughter, Wendy, there. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Manhattanville College in 1976 and enjoyed tutoring young Spanish-speaking children in English at Greenwich Country Day School. Over the years, Jane sang in the choir and served first as a Deacon and then as an Elder at the First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich. She worked for many years, primarily in marketing and purchasing positions, at Champion International/International Paper Corporation in Stamford, Connecticut. In 1983, Jane moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where she lived happily for 33 years, serving twice as president of her condominium association, the second time due to popular demand for her organizational and leadership skills. She also regularly attended Sunday services at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan, pursued her love of languages and cooking, and enjoyed attending the orchestra and theater in New York City.
In retirement, Jane immensely enjoyed taking trips all over the world with a small group of travelers, many of whom became friends. She visited Paris in 2013 with her daughter’s family, taking the opportunity to introduce her grandson, Ian, to her favorite city. In 2016, she moved to North Andover, Massachusetts to be closer to them.
Jane was intelligent, independent, indomitable, generous and stoic. She was a practical, talkative, gracious, direct, and dignified grammarian who thought nothing of gently pointing out another’s misuse of the English language, a trait she inherited and passed on. She was devoted to and proud of everyone in her family; Her grandson, however, was her pride and joy, the light of her life, her favorite topic of conversation, and possibly the first and last infallible human being.
Jane was predeceased by her parents; her brother, James G. Waddell; and her former husband, Charles W. Baker III. She is survived by her sister, Betsy W. Benzel; her daughter, Wendy B. McGowan and Wendy’s husband Richard F. McGowan; and her grandson, Ian R. McGowan.
The family would like to thank the staff at Ashland Farm for their kind care and for helping Jane first tolerate and then enjoy assisted living; they also thank the extraordinary team at Compassus Hospice for their compassionate, skillful care in her final weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the American Heart Association, Doctors without Borders, or Cradles to Crayons. A private celebration of Jane’s life is planned for 2022.