Jane Kay Eshelman, 68, of Canal Fulton, Ohio (formerly of Ashland), passed away on Friday, August 19, 2016.

She was born on July 30, 1948 in Ashland, Ohio, to Russell H. and Neva M. (Keener) Eshelman. Jane came as a surprise to her parents and her sister, Nancy, since she wasn’t expected until the end of September. She was small enough to fit in her father’s hand. She spent the first weeks of her life in Samaritan Hospital, where her parents visited her several times a day. Jane came home at 5 weeks old, barely weighing 5 lbs., and changed the household by becoming the center of attention (and giving her mother a hard time). She loved sitting on her sister’s lap and taking her nap while Nancy read or watched TV. As a young child, Jane and her mother began taking trips to Cleveland so she could attend preschool and receive physical therapy. Jane and her mother lived with her aunt and uncle each week, returning to Ashland on the weekends.

As a child, Jane had a tutor at home for school and went to Mt. Vernon twice a week for physical therapy. At age 8, Jane went to Peapack, NJ, to attend the Matheny School, where she also became a Girl Scout. At the Matheny School, Jane specialized in running away. At age 12, Jane moved to Reisterstown, MD, to attend a school run by Johns Hopkins for children with special needs, where she focused her studies on figuring out imaginative ways to skip class. She lived in Maryland until she turned 18, when she returned home to Ashland. While living at home, Jane became involved in patterning, a process developed at the Institute for Brain Development in Media, PA. 20 people per day helped Jane work on her mobility and range of motion.

In October of 1975, Jane moved to Warsaw, OH to live at Echoing Hills Village. She spent 17 years at “the Hills,” until October of 1992, when she moved to Canal Fulton, OH, to live at Echoing Ridge Residential Center. She also worked at Community Connections, a workshop run by Echoing Ridge.

Jane was well-loved by everyone who met her. She had a snappy comeback for almost every conversation. She loved traveling with her friends at Echoing Ridge, especially to Oglebay, WV, Pittsburgh, PA and Nashville, TN in recent years. Jane loved listening to all kinds of music. She especially enjoyed going shopping and going out to dinner with her family.

Jane is survived by her sister, Nancy Seifert, of Ashland; her nephew, J. Russell (Cheryl) Callahan, of Wadsworth; her great nieces and nephew, Laura Callahan of Cleveland and Megan and Christopher Callahan of Wadsworth; and a very large extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles. She is also survived by all of her friends and the staff at Echoing Ridge Residential Center.

She was preceded in death by her parents; special aunt and uncle, Phyllis and Carl Johnson; and brother-in-law, Harold Seifert, her “forklift.”

Calling hours will be Tuesday, August 23, 2016, from 1:30-3:00pm at Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home and Crematory, 313 Center Street, Ashland, OH 44805 with funeral services conducted by Dr. JoAnn Ford Watson will be at 3:00 pm, with burial to follow in East Homer Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to Echoing Hills Village, Inc., 36272 County Road 79, Warsaw, OH 43844.

Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home and Crematory is handling the arrangements.

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