Obituary of Jane Reid Zdancewic

Jane Reid Zdancewic, 90, of Freehold Township passed away on June 1st, 2009 after battling cancer for several years. She was born Emma Jane Reid in Tennent in 1918 and has been a life long resident of Monmouth County. Jane grew up on a farm and attended Old Tennent Church as a child. However, she was able to pursue her love of art and obtained a degree in Fine Arts from the School of Industrial Arts in Trenton in 1940. She put this talent to work during World War II where she drew maps for the military from aerial photographs. In 1943 she met and married Henry Zdancewic, moving to his farm in Smithburg. She was a typical farm wife in supporting her husband in his trade. Jane was very active in many organizations, such as The Grange, 4-H, Englishtown Village Inn Restoration Committee., and the Battleground Historic Society of which she was treasurer for 40 years. She has been honored by the Freehold Lions Club, the New Jersey Farm Bureau and the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture for her contributions. Jane was selected by Governor Brendan Thomas Byrne to be on the New Jersey Historic Sites Council in 1978. Jane was a member of the First Baptist Church of Freehold for 66 years where she taught Sunday school and was a member of the choir. Although being a farm wife hindered her desire to carry on in the arts, she continued to draw by producing a hand-made Christmas cards each year depicting a scene from her life or nature. She also took wildflower photographs and gave slide shows to numerous groups over the years. Later in life she was able to return to painting and produced many beautiful images some of which won awards in local contests. Jane is survived by her children, Arthur Leon Zdancewic and Ann Zdancewic Kamzelski, five grandchildren; Steven, David and Megan Zdancewic and Robert and Charles Kamzelski and three great-grandchildren; Eleanor and Sarah Zdancewic and Wade Kamzelski. Visiting hours will be held at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center Street, Freehold on Wednesday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church, 81 West Main Street, Freehold on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. William L. Frederickson officiating. The interment will follow at Old Tennent Cemetery, Tennent. Memorial donations to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.