Jane L. Wilson

Hyacinths to Feed Thy Soul
If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

Jane Lavinia (Forrester) Wilson, 91, passed away peacefully in Hamilton NJ on December 16, 2025. Jane was born in 1934, the third of four children of Ann Virginia (Eardley) Forrester and Maurice James Forrester, at their home in Pennington NJ. She and her siblings, Maurice, Ginny, and Betty grew up near and in Trenton NJ.

Jane worked in a Trenton hat factory for a couple of years, before enrolling in Asbury College in Wilmore KY. There she met her future husband, David Wilson, when he was coaching the girls’ gymnastics team that she was on. She completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1958 and, upon graduating, entered the Marine Corp Officer Training School in Quantico VA. However, upon completion of Basic Training she declined her commission, choosing to marry David on October 12, 1958, at her home church, Wesley Methodist in Trenton. For the next year, while her husband was completing his divinity degree to become a Methodist minister, Jane worked as a social worker for the State of New Jersey. Over the next several years, she and David had three children, Kerryl Lee, Kent Forrester, and Joel Montgomery. As the children grew, Jane worked part-time as an accountant for a small business and later as the church secretary doing office work and editing for her husband.

Because of her husband’s work, the family moved every few years while kids were growing up. Even in the early years when money was very tight, Jane made each parsonage her own, finding affordable ways to create comfort and beauty. At one house that had bay windows in the dining room, she and David installed glass shelves in the windows and lined them with cut glass decanters that she filled with colored water. The sunlight shining through them was something to behold! She loved filling our homes with flowers, plants, and artwork.

Jane was very aware of her impact on the earth. She recycled long before it was popular and easy, even filling the bathtub with glass bottles because we had to scrub the labels off before loading them in the car and taking them to the recycling center! She conserved water and electricity whenever possible. She clipped coupons and shopped sales long after it was a financial necessity.

A city kid, Jane didn’t grow up gardening but came to love it. Even with all the moving, she managed to create or find a garden space in each yard or at least nearby. The delicious fresh produce she grew fit nicely with another of her passions – healthful eating. When her kids were in elementary school, Jane discovered “health food,” as it was called then. It occasionally made for good stories, like the time we put brewers yeast powder in our morning orange juice and it lumped up, making it undrinkable.

Jane loved both words and numbers. She enjoyed exploring the etymology of words, was a fan of crossword puzzles and sudoku, and managed the family finances. She loved reading, especially detective mysteries by female writers. She also enjoyed television shows and movies that included humor, particularly British movies with their witty, subtle humor, and laughed at her husband’s puns, sometimes to his great surprise!

The accomplishment Jane was perhaps most proud of, besides raising her children, was her and David’s home in south Jersey. It was the first and only home they ever purchased, after decades of living in church parsonages. Jane designed and drafted schematics for an addition that included a spacious sunroom, an expanded and remodeled kitchen, and a large deck. David and Kent built the addition, with Jane participating in materials selection and helping with some of the construction and finish work. It was a beautiful addition that added tremendously to their comfort and enjoyment of their home, which they enjoyed until David’s semi-retirement when they moved closer to their grandchildren and Jane’s sisters.

Jane’s later decades were filled with time with her grandchildren, long walks with David where they enjoyed flowers and the beauty of nature, and car trips to historic sites. She will be remembered as a quiet presence who valued family and had a deep faith in God. We will miss her greatly.

She is survived by her children, Kerryl Lee, Kent Forrester, and Joel Montgomery; her grandchildren, Lydia Laub, Cora Laub, Kelly Wilson, Keegan Wilson, James Wilson, Garrett Drab, Emily Laird (Chris), Olivia DePue (Alex), and Claudia [OR nine grandchildren]; her great grandchild, Parker Laird; and her sisters, Virginia Camisa and Betty Wallace. She was preceded in death by her brother, Maurice, and her devoted husband David.

A private family celebration of Jane’s life will be held in the spring. 

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water… Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:6-7, 13)