Obituary of Jane M. Cole

Jane M. Cole, age 85, died on Sunday November 18, 2012 at the family farm in Hillsborough. Born in Brooklyn NY, Mrs. Cole grew up in Tottenville, Staten Island, NY and resided in Watchung since in 1961. Jane will be remembered as an avid Christmas ornament collector, a tireless gardener, a passionate advocate for the music of Walter Donaldson, her uncle, a world traveler, and a loving mom and proud grandma. As a real estate broker for nearly half a century, she strongly impacted the development of Watchung and helped countless people find their homes in the town she loved. Jane owned and operated Countryside Realtors from 1964 until joining Coldwell Banker in 1998, where she continued to work until Friday. Jane developed, with her partners, the Burnheade Neighborhood in Watchung and the town's first townhouses, Stonegate. She was President of the Somerset County Board of Realtors in 1981 and in 1984 she was named Somerset County Realtor of the Year. She was a founding member of the Jersey Jingles, a chapter of the Golden Glow of Christmas Past, a national society of merry collectors of antique ornaments, and was known to attend Christmas Conventions in July. On several occasions, she opened her home to Golden Glow friends from all over the country to share her collection. To honor the music of Walter Donaldson, she was a founding member of the New York Sheet Music Society, which led her to appear on Joe Franklin's Memory Lane Radio Show and to entertain one and all with spontaneous outbursts of "Makin' Whoopee." Jane formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Watchung Art Center and was still a member of the Watchung Garden Club and the Tottenville Historical Society. Over the past few years, she relished her role as head cheerleader of NJ Acoustic Music in the Park. Jane was predeceased by her beloved husband, Robert Cole, as well as her siblings, John Schaaff, Dorothy Schaaff, and Walter Schaaff. She is survived by two sons, Robert Cole of Hillsborough and John Cole and his wife, Ineta, of Hillsborough; a daughter Susan Tucker and her husband, Roger, of Watchung. She is also survived by three grandchildren: Christopher Cole, Kaitlyn and Robert Tucker. Visitation will be held on Tuesday November 20, 2012 from 2-4 and 7-9 pm at Higgins Home for Funerals 752 Mountain Blvd. Watchung NJ. A funeral service will be on Wednesday at 10:00 am at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the National Christmas Center ( www.nationalchristmascenter.com), the Watchung Education Foundation ( wefund.org), or to a friend in need this holiday season.