Jane Wilgress

Obituary of Jane Wilgress

Jane Wilgress August 23, 1917 ~ July 20, 2010 Pacific Grove - Jane Wilgress, resident of the Monterey Peninsula since the 1940s, died peacefully at her home on July 20, 2010. She was born in Chipping Campden, England, in 1917. After being home- schooled, Jane attended the Oxford City School of Art and Technology. In 1936 she married John Wilgress, and in 1939 the couple immigrated to California, where John had secured a teaching position at Midland School in Los Olivos. Jane and John spent the summers of the war years on the Monterey Peninsula, and in 1945 the family shifted its base to Carmel. Until John's death in 1953, the couple ran a business dealing in used and rare books, first in Carmel and later in Monterey. Jane returned to Midland School as librarian from 1966 to 1972. In 1976 she became curator and director of the Carl Cherry Foundation in Carmel for ten years. An indefatigable archivist, Jane returned to that function at Midland School for a few years. She contributed a great deal of material to the Campden Historical Society concerning the work of her father, sculptor Alec Miller. In 2004 her appreciative volume on the work of artist Jeanne d'Orge (Cherry) was published. Jane leaves one son, Oliver; two daughters, Charlotte Nesbit and Sarah Wilgress; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and five nieces and nephews. She will be remembered for her intelligence, patience, industriousness, and originality. She was committed to living simply and was faithfully supportive of socially responsible and often- neglected causes and organizations. Jane will be greatly missed by her wide circle of friends, acquaintances, and family on both sides of the Atlantic. Contributions in Jane's memory may be sent to the Catholic Worker (632 N. Brittania, Los Angeles, CA 90033); the Josephine Kernes Memorial Pool (15 Portola Avenue, Monterey, CA 93940); or to a local Meals on Wheels service. The family extends deep and sincere thanks to Jane's caregivers, to Dr. Susan Kubica, and to the staff of Hospice of the Central Coast for their professional support and guidance.
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Funeral Service

JUL 28. 01:00 PM San Carlos Cemetery 792 Fremont Street Monterey, CA, US
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