TURKINGTON, JANE D.

Jane D. Turkington, died at 9:20 am on Sunday, February 12, 2023, just five days after celebrating her 100th birthday. Jane was born on February 7, 1923, in Philadelphia, PA, the only child of Robert and Ida Dougherty. After graduating from Germantown High School in 1941, she went on to attend Taylor Business School. During World War II, Jane was a secretary in the office of the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1946 at War’s end, she met and married William David Turkington, a First Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps who had been stationed in New Guinea. Living in nearby Havertown, the couple had two children, Barbara and Robert (Bob). In 1952 while vacationing in Cape May, NJ, Bill accepted a position at the Merchants National Bank, located on the corner of Washington and Decatur Streets, the only bank in the area at the time. The couple very quickly moved to Cape May and in 1954 purchased the 13 acre former dairy farm of George and Hannah Ewing on Jonathan Hoffman Road in Cold Spring. In 1960, Jane was employed as Secretary of the Board of Education of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, during the time when the high school was being built. Although she originally intended to work only until her children had completed college, she ended up holding the Board Secretary position for some 26 years until the time of her retirement. She was an emeritus retired member of the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials. At the time of her passing, Jane was one of the oldest surviving members of the Cape May Presbyterian Church. Over the years she was a church Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher, and choir member. She was a 14 year member of the Cape May Women’s Community Club. She was also a long-time member of the Cape Atlantic Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America, and enjoyed completing a wide variety of needlework projects. Volunteering was very important to Jane. She was a docent for 10 years at the Cape May County Museum in Cape May Court House, and also a volunteer and member of the Board of Trustees of Historic Cold Spring Village. Jane’s hobbies included raising raspberries (that she turned into jelly), baking Scottish shortbread, and painting Santa Claus faces on Cape May oyster shells. Jane and husband Bill loved to travel, taking many car and bus trips within the U.S., and over 35 Caribbean and European cruises. She was ever so glad to have lived most of her life in and around Cape May. Jane often said she and her husband Bill couldn’t imagine a better place for them to have raised their family and to have spent their retirement years. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Steven Whitney, son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Leslie Turkington, and grandchildren Dana Bowling and Ryan Turkington. Per her wishes, a graveside service and interment will take place at the Cape May County Veteran’s Cemetery in Cape May Court House on March 4th (Saturday) at 11am. In lieu of flowers, memorials in her honor can be sent to the Cape May Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street, Cape May; or to the Historic Cold Spring Village, 720 US 9, Cape May. (Spilker Funeral Home, Cape May) info and condolences:spilkerfuneralhome.com