Jane Ronsheim Ring

Jane was born in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Julian and Sally Bober Ronsheim, and grew up in Great Neck, Long Island. She graduated from Brown University in 1966, majoring in French and attaining the distinction of summa cum laude. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in French from Columbia University in 1968. Jane’s master’s thesis focused on the novels of Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, reflecting her lifelong love of the French language and literature.

In addition to her family, Jane devoted her life to teaching and learning. She was a gifted Francophile and loved teaching French, both in school and privately. She was also a longtime employee of Evanston Township High School, where she spent most of her time in the computer lab. Her work combined her passion for education with her expertise in computers and interest in the emerging role of the internet.

She was also an avid reader and a wicked punster. Friends remember how Jane’s eyes would light up at any pun randomly thrown into conversation, and how it served as an invitation for her to play along.

Many of her happiest moments came when she was in France, both as a college student in Avignon and later as a retiree. Jane and her husband, Gene, took many summer trips to Southern France, enjoying incredible food, exploring the towns and cultural sites, and revisiting friends they had made. They were a great team, with Jane’s ability to converse with anyone and Gene’s ability to drive them anywhere.

Jane was a loving mom to her two children. She and her daughter shared a special place by Evanston’s lakefront, where they would take long walks and sit on their bench to talk heart-to-heart. They tied a shoelace on the back, so they could always find it. To honor their unbreakable bond, Marcy gifted Jane a bench for her 70th birthday, as a lasting tribute. It's inscribed, “Lace Bench, Place of Special Memories For Mothers and Their Children.”

To her grandchildren, Jane was their beloved Nana. She was the first to sit and play on their level, or produce a maze and hold their attention as only she could. Her grandchildren remember the silly dances, “cantaloupe” kisses and special hugs she shared with them, reflecting their deep affection.

Jane is survived by her loving husband of 58 years; her children Marcy Ring Fein (Todd) of Chicago, IL and Dan Ring (Sara) of Los Angeles; her grandchildren Riley, Skylar, and Dylan Fein and Charles Ring; her sister Dr. Nancy Ronsheim of Annapolis MD, her sister-in-law Elizabeth Kolasky (David) of Portland, OR, and nieces, nephews and cousins. Jane was predeceased by her sister Carol Martin (Bruce) of Cos Cob and her parents Sally and Julian Ronsheim.

Jane will be remembered and missed dearly for all the qualities that made her unique, including the depth of her feelings for those she cared for most. As Saint-Exupéry wrote in “The Little Prince,” one of her favorite books: “One sees clearly only with the heart.”

A memorial service will be held on February 2, 2026 at 1pm at Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home in Wilmette, with interment at Memorial Park in Skokie and shiva at the family’s home in Evanston. The memorial service will be livestreamed (https://www.asimplestreaming.com/jrring/).