Jane Rittenhouse Smiley, 90 died peacefully after a period of declining health, on April 27, at the Crosslands retirement community in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Jane was born in Bryn Mawr, , Feb. 27, 1919, the daughter of Leon and Eva (Ford) Rittenhouse. She grew up on the Haverford College campus, where her father was a professor of engineering. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1940 with a bachelor’s degree in French. As an inquisitive and adventurous college student, she spent her sophomore year abroad, studying in both France and Germany, not at all deterred by the mounting pre-war tensions in Europe.
For the next three decades Jane taught French at the Lancaster Country Day School and at the Wilmington Friends School. Along the way she acquired a master’s deree in French from Middlebury College and served as a Teacher of English Conversation at the Friends Girls School in Tokyo, Japan.
Pursuing her interest in history, Jane left the teaching profession in 1969 to accept a position as Rare Books Librarian at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. After acquiring a master’s of science in library science from Drexel University in 1970, she returned to her alma mater, serving as a librarian and archivist for Swarthmore’s Friends Historical Library.
On Aug. 9, 1976, Jane married Daniel Smiley of Lake Mohonk, New Paltz, NY. One of the special connections she felt with him was that her father had been Dan’s favorite professor when Dan attended Haverford College. Over the next two decades she contributed to the Smiley family’s resort operation in numerous ways – creating Mohonk’s first archive, and serving as librarian, archivist, coordinator of religious activities, leader of historic tours, and guest hostess. Jane was also active in the New Paltz Friends Meeting and participated in a local prison program.
In 1994 Jane moved to the Crosslands retirement community, where, among other activities, she edited the Crosslands Chronicle.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her sister and brother-in-law. She is survived by stepdaughters Anna Perry of Nyack, NY, and Pril Smiley of High Falls, NY; stepson Dan Smiley of Kalispell, Mont.; seven grandchildren; and six great grandchildren.
A Memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, May 16, at Crosslands Retirement Community, Route 926, Kennett Square, PA
Burial will be private.
Arrangements by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, Kennett Square, PA (Phone: 610-444-4116) Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecofuneralhomes.com
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Mohonk Preserve, Inc., P. O. Box 715, New Paltz, NY 12561 or the New Paltz Friends Meeting, 8 N. Manheim Blvd., New Paltz, NY 12561.
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