Written by Marilyn Barna-DeWald

Aunt Jane was a member of a select group of people who were sent by the U.S. government to help set up the U.N. at Lake Success.  She was actually on loan for a short period, but they asked her to stay on in an administrative capacity.  She served the U.N. For the first 25 years of its existence at the headquarters in New York, in France, in South America, in the Middle East, and in Africa. She helped to establish the office of the UN Peace Keeping Force in the Gaza Strip (she was stationed there in the early 1950's) and in the 1960's worked with John Gardiner (a prominent U.N. Figure from Ghana) at the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa.  While there she met the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassi.  At the U.N. she knew Dag Hamersjold, U Thant, and she met many world leaders including Kruschev. I can remember working at the UN for a summer when I was in college and when I told people that I was Aunt Jane's niece people's attitude toward me changed immensely.  Everyone was in awe of her. As I said, earlier, when she was in Africa she hired a young Kofi Annan and took him under her wing.  They have been close friends ever since.  Even with her Alzheimers, she never forgot who he was and saved every clipping she
read about him. Aunt Jane traveled to just about every country on earth.  Well into her 80's she visited Russia, China, Italy (twice while I was there) and Iceland.  She was quite a person and
we won''t ever forget her. My children thought of her as a grandma and are finding it difficult to realize life without her.
She was always with me for Christmas.  I think we only missed perhaps two Christmas' in my entire life. Here's what was said about her at the funeral.  JoAnn and Debbie also wrote tributes, but I don't have a copy.

To Aunt Jane:

Ever since we first put our noses to the cold glass of the kitchen door to await your arrival on Christmas Eve we have known that you, Aunt Jane, were someone who brought magic to our lives.  On those cold December evenings you'd sweep into our driveway in that big old Studebaker and we knew that Christmas was about to begin. You'd arrive wearing fine clothes and French perfume and you'd bring magic parcels from the shops on 5th Avenue……but the twinkle in your eye that said "let's bring in the Christmas tree" made us know that Santa's other elf,wee Jane, was among us.

Our parents gave us our roots and you, Aunt Jane, gave us our wings.You peppered all of your conversations with us with expressions from other languages. We never hear the words "Voila!"  or "S'il vous plait" with out thinking of you.  You made Australia and India and Ethiopia and Colombia and Gaza part of our lives.  And you made 120 Westfield Avenue a home away from home for people from everywhere.  You learned at Grandma"s knee (just as all the Lafferty children did) the importance of home and family.  Whether it was beach outings with Isabel and Joanie or a Hindu blessing by Nilima at Thanksgiving,  or visits with Ruth Shutes and Mae Ross Taylor or stories of life on the Gaza Strip or in Addis Ababa….. you made our family one with people from around the world. It always amazed us that whenever we met any of your friends from anywhere they always knew exactly who we were and great detail about our lives.

You were one amazing lady.  You showed us that hard work and determination can reap great success in life and you also taught us that family is of utmost importance and that family extends to the world family as well. We'll miss your stories and your laughter and your playfulness, but you will always be in our hearts and those of our children.  And we'll be sure to do the dishes before we open our Christmas presents.
We love you.

Selections from : Illuminata by Marianne Williamson (as adapted and read by Bob Barna at the funeral of Jane F.T. Lafferty)

We have come together on this day to remember the life of one whom we
have loved dearly.
Jane Fraser Towers Lafferty has lived in our hearts and shall live there
forever.

We release what was and make room for what shall be, as we testify
within our minds that life
does not end but merely transmutes, that today we say good-bye and yet
we also say hello.  We
say good-bye to the physical focus of our relationship with this
magnificent woman, and greet the
relationship with her soul that now begins anew.

We pray for the spirit of Jane, our beloved aunt, sister, and friend.
Take her in your arms, dear
Lord, and bring peace to her soul.  May her transition be sweet.  We see
at this time all of the
beloved people who mourn Aunt Jane.  And we watch as a glorious angel of
God now ties the
golden cord of eternal life at one end to Jane's heart and at the other
end to the heart of everyone
who so receives her.  We receive into our hearts the truth of God's
eternal life.

Dear God:
Please uphold us through this sorrow and this loss, as we grieve and
release this
one we shall so sorely miss.

As Jane's family, we say this:  If we could have done anything to keep
Aunt Jane
with us, we would have.  It is our deepest sorrow that she is not here
now.  And yet,
we will remember throughout our lives that Jane Lafferty was a wonderful
woman.  She was
strong and brave and good and wise.  And her spirit will be with us
forever.  She will be as an
angel who watches over us and a force of love that always protects us.
We will grow to be like
her, for her spirit remains with us.  Although we are left with no Aunt
Jane on earth, truly we still
have her forever.

Jane Fraser Towers Lafferty, we love you.
We thank you for all you have been to us.
We release you to God, that your journey ahead
May be glorious and sweet.

Dear God, please take Your servant.
Dear God, please take our pain.
Thank you very much.
And so it is.
Amen.