Obituary for Jane Emerson
Mrs. Jane Cornwell (Barber) Emerson, age 99, of Jefferson City, MO, passed away Sunday, April 16, 2023, at Oak Tree Villas.
She was born November 14, 1923, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a daughter of William H. and Esther (Darrow) Barber of nearby Ripon, Wisconsin.
She grew up in Ripon, a family oriented community, which had a significant influence on Jane. During the cold winters, she, and others in the community gathered together to enjoy ice skating, sledding, and other winter activities. She was a talented figure skater. During the summer, activities centered around the nearby lakes and South Woods, Wisconsin’s first Nature Preserve, which included canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and identifying wildflowers.
Education was highly valued by Jane and her family, many of whom were educators. She graduated from Ripon High School, and later from Ripon College with a chemistry degree. She also taught chemistry to students who were involved in the ROTC program at the college. She went on to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin where she had a teaching assistantship in mathematics.
While working on her master’s degree, Jane met the love of her life, Marion Preston Emerson from Missouri. In 1947, they were united in marriage in Ripon, Wisconsin and were blessed with 69 years together until Marion preceded her in death in 2015.
A homemaker the majority of her life, Jane was a constant source of support for her children and Marion, who was a mathematics professor and department chair at Emporia State University. They lived in Emporia for almost 60 years. She moved to Jefferson City, MO to be closer to family.
Jane’s family will always remember her passion for education, her servant’s heart and her great wisdom. She was often quiet and pensive, but when she did say something it was often significant. Jane possessed a strong faith throughout her life, and had been encouraged at one point to go into the ministry. When growing up, her family was very active in the Congregational Church in Ripon, and Jane and Marion continued to be very active in churches where they lived, teaching Sunday school classes for many years.
Jane kept busy with her many hobbies and interests. She was a life-long learner and an avid reader, who continued to study and grow throughout her life. She also had a wonderful sense of humor and readily shared jokes and humorous stories, and clipped newspaper cartoons to send to her grown children. She and Marion were passionate about doing genealogy, and gathered family stories that were passed down through generations by communicating with and befriending distant cousins, reading community newspapers, interviewing elderly relatives, and reading family histories. Jane appreciated nature and being outdoors. Known for her green thumb, she shared her love of flower gardens and trees with others, and enjoyed it when her granddaughters helped with the gardens. She loved playing the piano and making traditional cookies at Christmas. Quality time with family was everything to her! She treasured family gatherings and was an excellent cook, always collecting healthy recipes to share with family. She continued the tradition of making decorative Christmas cookies from family recipes.
Survivors include: two children, William D. Emerson (Irene Spahr) of Arvada, CO and Anne Hutton (Tom) of Jefferson City, MO; three grandchildren, Erin Weiss (Andrew) of Jefferson City, MO, Meghan Chockley of Jefferson City, MO and Marika “Molly” Emerson (David Setchel) of Cleveland, OH.; three great-grandchildren, Alexis Weiss, Sonny Weiss, and Joshua Weiss; niece, Sarah Adderholt (Bryan); nephew, David Hallock (Molly); brother-in-law, Richard Hallock; and a sister-in-law, Ruth Emerson.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Marion; daughter, Alice Emerson on October 18, 2022; sister, Anne Hallock on September 20, 2022; niece, Jane Baillargeon; and brother-in-law, William A. Emerson, Jr.
A private family graveside service and interment will be held at Maplewood Cemetery near Exeter, MO at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Dr. Marion and Jane Emerson Scholarship Fund through the Emporia State University Alumni Foundation to help students within the Mathematics Department. Please mail donations to P.O. Box 95, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary, 915 Madison St, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
She was born November 14, 1923, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a daughter of William H. and Esther (Darrow) Barber of nearby Ripon, Wisconsin.
She grew up in Ripon, a family oriented community, which had a significant influence on Jane. During the cold winters, she, and others in the community gathered together to enjoy ice skating, sledding, and other winter activities. She was a talented figure skater. During the summer, activities centered around the nearby lakes and South Woods, Wisconsin’s first Nature Preserve, which included canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and identifying wildflowers.
Education was highly valued by Jane and her family, many of whom were educators. She graduated from Ripon High School, and later from Ripon College with a chemistry degree. She also taught chemistry to students who were involved in the ROTC program at the college. She went on to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin where she had a teaching assistantship in mathematics.
While working on her master’s degree, Jane met the love of her life, Marion Preston Emerson from Missouri. In 1947, they were united in marriage in Ripon, Wisconsin and were blessed with 69 years together until Marion preceded her in death in 2015.
A homemaker the majority of her life, Jane was a constant source of support for her children and Marion, who was a mathematics professor and department chair at Emporia State University. They lived in Emporia for almost 60 years. She moved to Jefferson City, MO to be closer to family.
Jane’s family will always remember her passion for education, her servant’s heart and her great wisdom. She was often quiet and pensive, but when she did say something it was often significant. Jane possessed a strong faith throughout her life, and had been encouraged at one point to go into the ministry. When growing up, her family was very active in the Congregational Church in Ripon, and Jane and Marion continued to be very active in churches where they lived, teaching Sunday school classes for many years.
Jane kept busy with her many hobbies and interests. She was a life-long learner and an avid reader, who continued to study and grow throughout her life. She also had a wonderful sense of humor and readily shared jokes and humorous stories, and clipped newspaper cartoons to send to her grown children. She and Marion were passionate about doing genealogy, and gathered family stories that were passed down through generations by communicating with and befriending distant cousins, reading community newspapers, interviewing elderly relatives, and reading family histories. Jane appreciated nature and being outdoors. Known for her green thumb, she shared her love of flower gardens and trees with others, and enjoyed it when her granddaughters helped with the gardens. She loved playing the piano and making traditional cookies at Christmas. Quality time with family was everything to her! She treasured family gatherings and was an excellent cook, always collecting healthy recipes to share with family. She continued the tradition of making decorative Christmas cookies from family recipes.
Survivors include: two children, William D. Emerson (Irene Spahr) of Arvada, CO and Anne Hutton (Tom) of Jefferson City, MO; three grandchildren, Erin Weiss (Andrew) of Jefferson City, MO, Meghan Chockley of Jefferson City, MO and Marika “Molly” Emerson (David Setchel) of Cleveland, OH.; three great-grandchildren, Alexis Weiss, Sonny Weiss, and Joshua Weiss; niece, Sarah Adderholt (Bryan); nephew, David Hallock (Molly); brother-in-law, Richard Hallock; and a sister-in-law, Ruth Emerson.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Marion; daughter, Alice Emerson on October 18, 2022; sister, Anne Hallock on September 20, 2022; niece, Jane Baillargeon; and brother-in-law, William A. Emerson, Jr.
A private family graveside service and interment will be held at Maplewood Cemetery near Exeter, MO at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Dr. Marion and Jane Emerson Scholarship Fund through the Emporia State University Alumni Foundation to help students within the Mathematics Department. Please mail donations to P.O. Box 95, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary, 915 Madison St, Jefferson City, MO 65101.