January 19th, 2010

Today marks the one year anniversary of Jane's death. Maya, Torben, June, and I paid our respects at St. Peter's by lighting a few candles. (Well, we lit many candles, actually. Torben *really* likes to blow them out.)

Mom, you are still loved, and missed. Peace.

A Celebration

At Jane's request, we will hold a celebration rather than a memorial!

Sunday, February 15, 2009
7 pm
St. Peter's Church
619 Lexington Ave at 54th Street
(entrance between Lex & 3rd on 54th St)

(Please note that St. Peter's has Jazz Vespers at 5pm and a light
Jazz Supper at 6:30pm, which are open to all -- you are welcome to attend.)

Jane's service will start at 7pm, followed by dessert, wine, and coffee.

On her birthday, February 4th, Jane's ashes were placed in the St.
Peter's columbarium, in the wall of the beautiful church sanctuary.
Visitors are welcome there at any time.

Please email Maya if you'll be coming to the service.

Jane Schreiber, 1943-2009

We found out just before New Year's that Jane's cancer was metastatic, which was then complicated by pneumonia and a stroke last Friday. We had hoped to have more time with her, of course, but we were able to have good conversations with her in the last week. Yesterday, her brother and cousins came together with us to sit at her side. We listened to music that she loved, and watched the broadcast of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, which Jane attended in person in 1963. Her grandson Torben had visited her during the weekend, and they blew each other kisses. The hospital chaplain and her own pastor both came to offer prayers. Her wonderful nurse Amalee made sure that she was not in pain, and the room was filled with photos, and a wonderful view of the city from the 11th floor at St. Vincent's. There was talk of Barack, baseball, and barbecue, all around her, all day.

We kissed her goodnight and headed home to Torben. The nurse called us to let us know Jane passed away soon after we left. (Knowing Jane, she was more ready than we were, and was probably just waiting for us to get the heck out.)

We are planning a service and celebration for Jane in early February and will let you know the details as soon as we have them. Please see the links on this page for a list of organizations with which Jane was involved, and consider supporting one of them in her memory.

Jane would always say "I only tell good stories", so we would love it if you would share yours here.

Peace, Love, & Carpe Diem,
Jason & Maya

Happy Birthday Jane

This picture was taken three years ago, 2/4/2006, at a birthday celebration with my mom, Maya, and David and Maureen.

The Scouting Party

Click here for an interactive panorama of the Scouting Party. (Thanks to Jook Leung, the original photographer and Steve Cox for re-assembling the image.) From 1980 to about 2000 my mom had a store called "The Scouting Party". (We always just called it "The Store".) This panorama picture was taken on a typical day in the The Store, circa 1997. We're sorting through many photos, which we'll get online soon. (If you have any pictures of the store/Jane, please send them to me.) 

My mother started The Scouting Party with an old friend, "Dubby". They got into the stuff business going to flea markets and estate sales acquiring... stuff.  These weekend forays into the Brooklyn flea market scene, with children and husbands dragged along, inspired the store's name. Then they moved up to selling stuff at their own tables at those same flea markets. Eventually, there was just too much stuff to keep in our apartment. The Scouting Party's first permanent location was on 7th avenue between 9th and 10th streets. The store opened on the same day as John Lennon's assassination. I'm sure they would have postponed the opening, but the grassroots marketing campaign was already in full force. (The families were handing out fliers announcing The Scouting Party's opening date to Park Slope. My "assignment" was the 9th Street subway station...) 

The Store was not an immediate success. It had the strains and stress of many first time businesses. My mom and Dubby parted ways early on, after which time Jane ran the store as sole proprietor and grew the business until, to paraphrase George Carlin, she needed a bigger place for all her stuff. The Store moved to the corner of 7th Avenue and 10th Street and took on a life that reflected my mother. Through all its years, The Scouting Party always provided new experiences. There was a constant stream of books, records, neat things, and random stuff. It was a place to find used and new treasures, and new and used people as well. As Pat mentioned, Jane loved to connect people together. The Store allowed her to do that, in style, for years. Some friends referred to her as "the Godmother of Park Slope"; and, in fact, she did wind up being a literal godmother for some great friends in the neighborhood. The Store changed along with the neighborhood. The stuff got nicer and shinier, but "old Brooklyn" was still there. You could always get something unexpected -- a gift for someone they didn't know they needed, a used book my mom thought you should read, or a new person in the neighborhood she thought you should meet. And, of course, she loved to keep the turntable going all the time. 

 Speaking of music, The Store was also, thanks to my Mom's generosity and encouragement, my rehearsal and recording studio. Another story for another day.