Jane Sheldon died on June 26, 2025 in Rockport, Maine, after a brief battle with cancer. Born on November 30, 1941, she was the eldest of four children born to Jane McIntosh Sheldon and John Ellsworth Sheldon, in Canton, Massachusetts.

Born exactly one week before Pearl Harbor, Jane’s early years were spent on military bases while her father served in the second world war. The family eventually landed in Milton, Massachusetts, where the children all attended nearby Milton Academy. There Jane made lifelong friendships, discovered the athletic talents that would be part of her life, and established her love of choral singing. After Milton, Jane attended Northwestern University (class of 1963) where she joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

In 1974, she married John Snowden Chatfield (1933-2017), and they lived in New York City, then Bedford, New York, retiring to Rockport, Maine in 2005. Together they had three loving children with many dogs and cats.

Throughout her life, Jane found ways to study, design and work in gardens, from the New York Botanical Garden in New York City to her private landscape design practice in Bedford. In addition to garden design, she was always exploring new hiking trails and places to experience the beauty of nature. One of the happiest times in her life was in her twenties living in Calgary, Alberta, where she learned to fly-fish and experienced the breathtaking beauty of the mountains while hiking, camping and canoeing.

Jane took deep comfort in her religion, becoming a deacon in the Episcopal church. She enjoyed years of hospital pastoral visiting and was an active member of bible study classes.Jane’s competitive streak came out on the tennis courts, where she loved a good game. She continued to play - and beat - most of her opponents, into her eighties.

Jane also truly enjoyed cooking dinner for friends and family, reading good fiction, skiing, and riding horses. She leaves behind memories of her generosity, sense of humor, and love for the natural world and its beauty.

She is survived by her three siblings: Mary S. Twiss of The Plains, Virginia, Cynthia H. Sheldon of Little Compton, Rhode Island, and John E. Sheldon Jr. of Milton, Massachusetts; her dear first cousin Mary Madden of Richmond Hill, Georgia; her three children: Jessica Chatfield of Middlebury, Vermont, Abigail (B) Chatfield of Boston, Massachusetts, and Andrew Chatfield of Somerville, Massachusetts; four grandchildren, many cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 12, at 10 a.m., at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rockland, Maine.