Jane Standen Tucker
Jane Tucker died peacefully December 19, 2012 at the Gregory Wing of St. Andrews Village in Boothbay Harbor.
She was born in 1917 in Palo Alto, California, two years to the day after her sister, Molly. Jane was the daughter of Richard and Ruth Tucker, and grew up at the Lick Observatory where her father was resident astronomer. These early years instilled in Jane a love of astronomy, which lasted throughout her life, and took her to South America in 1976 to take a closer look at Halley’s Comet.
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Mills College in 1937, Jane went to Mexico at her mother’s urging “to see another way of life.” Providing a stark contrast to that journey, Jane went to work with the U.S. War Department on the Canol Project, which was involved in building an oil pipeline across the Yukon. When the Second World War started in Europe, Jane joined the Red Cross and served in the European theater. Following the end of the war she was hired by ARAMCO and spent several years working in Saudi Arabia before returning to the United States.
Jane’s ancestors came from Wiscasset, and she moved to Boston to be nearer to her ailing aunt, who lived in Castle Tucker in Wiscasset. When her aunt died in 1967, the “Castle” was inherited by Jane and her sister Molly. When no suitable buyer came forward, Jane bought her sister out and moved into the house. Having attended courses at the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), Jane soon realized that the property represented a unique historical artifact … original Federal elements, the furniture and accessories collected by one family over generations, and extraordinary Anglo-Japanese wallpaper.
Thirty years after moving to Wiscasset, Jane turned Castle Tucker over to Historic New England, formerly SPNEA, which also owns the Nickels Sortwell House in Wiscasset. During her years in Wiscasset, Jane contributed her many talents to the Lincoln County Historical Society, and organized and collected the genealogical archival material at the Wiscasset Public Library. The Tucker family history was transcribed and provides an invaluable historical resource. Jane was a valued member of the Wiscasset Female Charitable Society, started a book club which is still active, and was influential in Town affairs. She loved gardening, travel, history, astronomy and an occasional drink of “something brown.”
A memorial service will be held at St. Philips church in Wiscasset on Friday, December 28 at 3 p.m.
Donations may be made to the Wiscasset Public Library, 21 High Street, Wiscasset ME 04578.