Jane Fields

Dorothy Jane Ogden Thornton/Fields/Bryant, beloved and devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully on October 28 at the age of 88. She was surrounded and comforted in her final hours by her four sons and many members of her family.

Jane was born on July 11, 1937 and grew up "literally" in the shadow of the paper mill in Big Island, Virginia, as the youngest of three sisters (Mary and Billie Ogden). The trio were the "belles of Big Island." Jane was the daughter of William M. and Annie T. Ogden and came of age in the American golden era of the 1950's, graduating from Big Island High School in 1955. Her academic life was interrupted for a time by real life and four sons, but she returned to Lynchburg College and earned a B.A. with honors in 1989.

Jane married Thomas Delaware Thornton II in 1957, and together they raised four children: Michael Alexander, William Cary, Thomas Delaware III, and Jonathan Lee. After divorcing in the 1970's, she met and later married her soulmate, Warren "Winkie" Fields. They were happily married and virtually inseparable until Winkie's death in 2014.

In addition to her four sons, Jane is survived by 12 grandchildren: Erin Hall (Joey), Amanda White (Stephen), Janie Morice (Michael), Katie Coffey (Jonathan), Emily Thornton (Mark), Patrick Thornton (Kasey), Elizabeth Thornton (Matt), Claire Thornton, Catherine Thornton, Jessica Thornton, Ellie Thornton, and Brooke Thornton. Jane also had 19 great grandchildren, all of whom she knew and loved.

Jane (Mom Jane, MaMaw, "The Jane") was beloved and cherished by her entire family, and her memory will remain in our hearts and minds forever. One of her last big projects was to catalog her extensive photo collection and divide it amongst her family members. She was always concerned about her family's history and happiness. Until dementia overtook her, she remembered everybody's birthday and anniversary and never failed to send a handwritten greeting card.

Jane was a woman of deep Christian faith, a devoted and strong-minded wife and mother, an exemplary student, and an accomplished business woman who worked in printing, banking, medical insurance, and pest control. It was always fun to tease her about spraying termites when she was actually doing administrative work. She had both a playful and a serious side, and she was excellent at everything she did in life. Generally it was a good idea to stay on her good side or risk getting "the look." She loved a good joke or prank and basic silliness, and was an avid reader in her early life. She often had to balance her role as wife/mother and working outside the home, sometimes as a single mother. She always put her children and family before outside concerns or business. She was a great cook, made a "mean" cherry cobbler, and to this day, we believe she holds the world record for the total number of baseball and football games attended as a mom/spectator over the course of her sons athletic lives.

Jane was multi-talented and wickedly smart. You could visit her on any given morning and she would have already finished the newspaper crossword puzzle completely and perfectly. She loved playing the piano and singing, excelling at both. In later years, she especially liked playing gospel music, hiking, and meandering around the countryside with her third husband, Bob Bryant. She deeply enjoyed the companionship of her husbands over the years and jokingly "threatened" to put the fourth shoe on the horse, but she fell short in this endeavor....one of a very few times in her life when she did not accomplish the mission!

 The family would like to express its deep gratitude to the staff and team at Liberty Ridge Health and Rehabilitation for the loving and exemplary care they provided to our mom Jane during her stay there. Mom knew she was loved—until the very end.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.