I've known Jane, Peter and the kids almost all my life, and funnily enough, my very first memories are from 14 Dora road in 1965. Although contemporaries of my parents, I always considered Jane and Peter my dear friends and stayed in touch with them over the years, not often (we were separated by oceans for the most part) but consistently. They were a constant in my life, always there, always ready to host, to share, and always interested. They had a wonderful way of making you feel that you mattered, and in all their humility, they taught you what it meant to be truly kind.

Attached is a photo of Jane in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1989, with my second daughter, Amélie, at about six weeks old. From the moment she was born, Amélie refused to sleep, and cried continuously except for a few hours during the day. After a while, everyone's nerves were completely frayed! Enter Jane, and true to form, she volunteered for the night shift for several days, and allowed the rest of us to crash and feel human again. I snapped this picture at about 5am one morning when they had both finally passed out... it was the breakthrough we needed! Luckily the flash didn't wake them :)

I last saw Jane in June last year when she came to say with us here in Sleepy Hollow, New York, while my Mum Jean was visiting us from South Africa. I had seen her a year or two before, at Crispin's in DC, and yet again, she hadn't changed a bit. If there was one older person I was convinced was going to outlive me (outlive us all!) it was Jane. Her energy and spark was all there, the same smile, the same little giggle.. It's hard to believe she's gone.

I realize now that I have just lost my oldest friend ever. We met when I was three, and there is no-one else alive on the planet, besides my own parents of course, who has known me that long and who knows - knew - me that well. So, a fifty-year friendship comes to a close, and of course I wish it could have been sixty, or more. But there is so much to be grateful for, to celebrate, and there is no doubt that I'll never ever forget Jane, or Peter, and their unique brand of selflessness, energy and extraordinary generosity of spirit.

Toni, Crispin, Clare, Ruth, and your families: our thoughts and sympathies are with you all, and albeit it from a distance, we join you in celebrating the life of your extraordinary Mum.

With much love,
Boetie and family.