Jane Elizabeth Fleming Herr Wallace

Jane was born to Louis and Joanne Fleming of Portland, Oregon (both now deceased) on July 6, 1951. She was the third of five children, two boys and three girls, and the oldest of the three girls. She lived her entire life in Portland. Along with all her siblings, she attended Holy Redeemer Elementary School in north Portland. She attended high school at St. Mary's Academy in downtown Portland for two years, and then Jackson High School in SW Portland where she graduated in 1969. She graduated from Portland State University in 1973 with a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice. Shortly after graduating from PSU, Jane was hired by Kaiser Permanente, and worked in their Interstate Office.

Jane married William Herr on April 4, 1975 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in north Portland. Bill was tragically killed in a small plane accident in southern Oregon in June of 1977. At the time of his death, Bill was the owner of a local hardwood flooring business, Ryerson Hardwood Floors. Upon Bill's death, Jane took a leave of absence from her job at Kaiser Permanente, and assumed the role of company owner and manager. She successfully operated the business for approximately three years until she sold the company and returned to work at Kaiser. From that point forward, Jane had a very successful career at Kaiser, eventually rising to the position of Assistant Supervisor for Data Coordination for the Kaiser Center for Health Research in Portland. She retired from Kaiser in 2011.

At the time of Bill's death, Jane was seven months' pregnant with their daughter, Kelley Marie Herr. Kelley was born on September 9, 1977. For the first four years of her life, Jane raised Kelley as a working single mother.

Jane married Bryan Wallace on August 29, 1981 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in north Portland. They lived for many years in their beautiful home in northeast Portland, across from Grant High School before moving to their current home in east Portland.

Jane enjoyed people, and she and Bryan enjoyed entertaining. She was active in local soft ball and volleyball leagues for many years, and also enjoyed golfing, cooking and reading. She and Bryan enjoyed some traveling in their later years, and also very much enjoyed encouraging their daughter, Kelley, in her teaching career. Jane also loved spending time at their beach house on the northern Oregon coast.

Jane was a very loving and generous soul. She was quick to offer words of encouragement to others, and she always chose to see her cup as more than half full. She minimized her challenges, and helped others celebrate their successes. She wanted to leave the world a better place by her having been in it. She lived a life of which we are all very proud, and she leaves a hole in our hearts that won't ever be filled.

Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989, and had a mastectomy. The cancer recurred seven years later, and she had a second mastectomy. She was cancer-free for many years following that second operation until its return in 2008. She fought a valiant fight with repeated chemotherapy treatments in the ensuing years.

Jane is survived by her husband, Bryan Wallace and her daughter, Kelley Marie Herr of Seaside, OR. She is also survived by brother Louis (Susan) Fleming Jr. of Coeur d'Alene, ID; sisters Anne (John Fenk) Fleming of Portland, OR and Mary (David) Burkhart of Oregon City, OR., two sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law; six nieces and four nephews; an uncle, three aunts, and numerous cousins. She was preceded in death by her brother, David Fleming, in 1987.

The family would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the staff at the Kaiser Interstate Oncology Clinic for their excellent and loving care of Jane over the last eight years. Jane had many friends there.

A memorial service in celebration of Jane's life will be held on Monday, February 16, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church located at 25 N. Rosa Parks Way in Portland. Internment will be private.

The family recommends in lieu of flowers you take your family out for ice cream and remember all the great times you had with our dear Janie.