CLARENCE IOWA - Jane Frances (Lichtenheld) Capron passed away peacefully on the morning of June 4 with family at her side, after a brief illness at the Clarence Nursing Home. She had relocated to Iowa to be near her daughter Elizabeth, who, along with her husband Jon, cared for Jane in her final years.

Born September 10, 1935, Jane was a native of Duluth, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a teaching degree in English. Her training and sense of adventure led her to California, where she took a job teaching English at the China Lake Naval Base. There, she met her future husband, Ken Capron. Their life together took them to Victorville, California; Los Osos, California; Kearney, Nebraska; Libby, Montana; Elkader, Iowa; Fort Worth, Texas; Middleboro, Kentucky; Portland, Oregon; and, finally, to retirement in Eugene, Oregon, where they lived for more than 20 years.

A mother of two girls (Elizabeth and Susan), she responded to each new residence with creativity and a sense of adventure, often creating new opportunities for the girls and herself. While in Elkader, Iowa, for example, she painted a mural on the side of their home and started an artist’s group called Clayton County Artists. She went back to college in her 50s to obtain a master’s degree in ESL. She taught college-level English composition until her retirement. At that point, she and Ken became apartment managers for an apartment complex in Portland. She always said it was the best job they ever had.

Jane was a pianist, accomplished artist, and a professional writer who published a series of mysteries based on her work experiences as an apartment manager. She and Ken later moved to a lovely retirement community, Songbrook, in Eugene, where she became heavily involved in OSTA (Oregon State Tenants Association), and published their newsletter. She made many friends while living in Songbrook, playing bridge, leading an arts and crafts group, and teaching Tai Chi in the clubhouse.

She is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth Klingman (Jon) and Susan Capron (Dan Allcott), and two grandchildren, Carter Nicholas Capron-Allcott, and Jacqueline Frances Capron-Allcott. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Fran Lichtenheld, and her husband of 63 years, Ken Capron.