Jane Ann Ford

Jane Ann Ford, 88, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away just after midnight on January 3, 2026.

Jane was born in Hartford City, Indiana, on July 24, 1937, to Francis and Margaret (Brown) Waters. She was the middle child of three.

She is survived by her three children, James (Pat) Ford, Jr., Jeremy (Rebecca) Ford, both of Fort Wayne, and Jennifer Ford of Forest Park, Illinois; four grandchildren, Rachel (Joel), Colin, and Shannon Ford, and Meagan (Kieran) Harte; brothers Harry (Judy) Waters of Frazier Park, California and David (the late Lucy) Waters of Middleton, Indiana; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Jane was preceded in death by her loving husband, James (Jim) Ford, Sr. to whom she was married for 55 years.

Jane had many interests over the years and would throw herself into each with gusto. She helped establish the Historic South Wayne Neighborhood Association and served as its president for many years during which she led the effort to put the neighborhood on the historic register. She also worked with the decision-makers as they converted the old Lutheran Hospital complex into a beautiful neighborhood park.

She worked for many years as an administrative assistant but eventually found her calling as a gardener. She studied at the Purdue Extension and earned her advanced master gardener certification as well as many awards and recognition for her volunteer services in this area. For nine years, she wrote a gardening column for the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, and she also maintained a gardening blog for many years and was always ready to help anyone with a plant or gardening problem.

She wrote newsletters for many organizations after her lively neighborhood newsletters caught the attention of other groups looking to make their own communications more fun.

Jane, along with her strong right hand, Jim, Sr., lovingly rehabbed a neglected early 20th Century Craftsman-style bungalow in the late 1990s and turned its yard into a garden showplace that was featured more than once in the local papers. Along with Jim, and her beloved dogs Katie and Missy, who also both predeceased her, Jane’s great love was the house on Kinnaird Avenue where she was able to let loose her full creativity. Everyone who visited the house or the gardens there remembers their beauty, and the love that filled every room.

Jane is also survived by many dear friends including Barbara Horton, Lucinda Klopfenstein, Barbara Pier, Lisa Lauer, and Linda Coverset, and her fellow master gardeners, including Ricky Kemery and Pam Snyder.

Jane was a life-long Christian whose testimony of rededication as a young wife living abroad in France and feeling lost is well-known to her children. She read her Bible every day and studied the Word with care. Her family is secure in the knowledge that she is reunited with her husband and family and in God’s loving arms.

A memorial is being planned for a later date. Interment at Greenlawn Memorial Park.