Mrs. Jane Ammerman Blanton, 89, passed away Thursday October 24, 2013 at Saxony Health Center. A native of Orange, New Jersey she was born July 26, 1924, the daughter of the late Harold Elliott Ammerman and Edna Elizabeth Brush Ammerman. She grew up in what was then the very close community of Orange, NJ, where she made lifelong friends. She enjoyed playing tennis, spent much summer time at the New Jersey beaches, and always loved attending the theater in New York City, especially musical theater and opera. She graduated from East Orange High School in 1942, where she excelled at tennis and basketball. In 1946, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University where she majored in math and physics and was a tennis standout. During WWII she spent summers working in research facilities, including assembling parts for the Norden bombsight. She then worked as a calculator at Bell Laboratories Research Labs in Murray Hill, NJ, after completing graduate studies at Rutgers University where she also taught.

In 1951 she married Neil Coron “N.C.” Blanton of Shelby, NC. They spent the next 19 years in Washington, PA where they raised their three daughters, Patty, Carol, and Elizabeth. They were active in the First Methodist Church there and in many civic organizations. Since her childhood, Jane was an enthusiastic and active supporter of the Girl Scouts of America, first as a Girl Scout and then as a troop leader and in various volunteer leadership roles.

In 1970, the Blanton family relocated to Clifton Park, NY where they added to their circle of friends and experiences. Jane joined the Shenendehowa United Methodist Church and was active in FISH volunteer services. She taught at Schenectady Community College and enjoyed tutoring students challenged in math.

In 1989, Neil and Jane retired to Washington and spent the remainder of their lives in the area. In addition to reconnecting with their longtime friends in Pennsylvania, they enjoyed family gatherings at the NC Outer Banks each summer.

PRECEDED: Jane was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Neil.

SURVIVED: She is survived by her daughters Patty and Bob McConnaughey of Pittsboro, NC, Carol  Lutken and husband Tom of Oxford, MS, and Elizabeth Goetz and husband Jack of Butler, PA; seven much loved grandchildren: Adam Coron McConnaughey; Carolyn Jane, Emily Revere, and Thomas Christian Lutken; and Andrea Jane, Stephen Christopher, and John Edward Goetz.

SERVICES: A Graveside service will be held at 3:00 pm Sunday at the Sharon United Methodist Church cemetery.

VISITATION: The family will receive friends following the graveside service in the cemetery.

CLERGY: Rev. Len Byers will officiate.

BURIAL: Burial will immediately follow in Sharon United Methodist Church Cemetery.

MEMORIALS: The family requests that no flowers be sent. Memorial contributions may be made to your local Girl Scout Council, your local United Methodist Church, or the charity of your choice.

FUNERAL HOME:    Clay-Barnette Funeral Home of Shelby