Obituary of Jane C. Styles

JANE C. STYLES Latham- Family and friends of Jane C. Styles, age 92, were saddened by her death on January 25, 2015, following a two week illness. Jane had determination, strength, a joy for life and enjoyed a glass of white wine! She was outgoing, active, and proud of living independently as a widow for over 40 years. Her deep faith and love of family were her greatest blessings. Jane was born on June 26, 1922, in Watervliet, NY, the oldest daughter of Jane DeChantal Fitzpatrick and Arthur Edward Coleman. She graduated Catholic Central High School in Troy in 1939 and during World War II worked in the Watervliet Arsenal and volunteered for the Red Cross. On July 14, 1945, Jane married her love, Air Force Captain William J. Styles, upon his return from interment as a POW in Germany. She assisted her husband at the Styles Funeral Home in Troy until his death on March 22, 1975. Jane retired from the staff of the Russell Sage College Library in 1987 and volunteered at Our Lady of Hope until 2007. Jane self published a collection of short stories from her life for her 90th birthday. She was an active parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Latham, and enjoyed organizing bus trips for her parish until age 91. One of her great passions was traveling. Jane went to Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, Aruba, Mexico, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Korea. Jane visited Hawaii five times and maintained her great love of Hawaii throughout her life. Jane was a loving mother to Janice Styles-Hall (Bill) of Clifton Park, Linda Berkery (Jack) of Latham, and Carol Hirata (George) of Windsor, Colorado. She also had fourth daughter, Christine Marie, who died at age one on January 25, 1953. She was grandmother to Leanne (Jason) Goldberg, John Berkery (Diana), Michael Hirata, Marnie Hirata, David Styles (deceased),Thomas Berkery (Jillian), Cristian Styles, Vanessa Styles, and Mary Berkery (Matthew Waskovics). She was Great-Gram to Caleb, Shane, Lily, Jane, and Samuel. Jane was sister to Doris Bell (Robert), John "Jack" Coleman (deceased), Thomas "Harry" Coleman (deceased), and Mary Colaneri (Jack), and sister-in-law to Mary Coleman, Esther Fitzgerald, and Ljiljana Coleman. Jane had many nieces, nephews, and friends of all ages. She will be greatly missed by her best friend, Rose Volks. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Latham on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 10:00 AM. Visitation will be on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 from 3:30PM to 7PM at the Dufresne and Cavanaugh Funeral home in Latham. Per Jane's request, wear bright colors and remember her with great joy. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jane's memory may be made to the Albany Regional Food Bank (donatenow.networkforgood.org) or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (St. Jude.org) For directions, information or to light a memory candle for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com.