At a memorial service on August 29 that filled our sanctuary, New England Conference Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton used the phrase during his eulogy, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman”. There could not have been a better remembrance for honoring Jane Petherbridge Ives, wife of Bishop Cliff Ives, who passed away on July 26 at age 87.

As was written in her obituary, “Jane was a beloved wife for 68 years, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, educator and author. Jane’s remarkable abilities listening, coaching, and helping others be who God created them to be, impacted all blessed to know her. Her legacy lives on in the family she cherished, students she inspired, couples she encouraged, ministries she supported, and countless lives she touched. Though we deeply miss her, we rejoice in the enduring promise of resurrection and give thanks for a life beautifully and faithfully lived.”

Throughout the service, those sentiments were lovingly expressed by Jane and Cliff’s daughter Bonnie and son’s Stephen and Jonathan.

Her years as an educator were remembered by longtime friend Mary Ellen Schaper and in a poem read by granddaughter Amber Grace Collins-Ives.

In addition to Bishop Bickerton, the service was attended by bishops and clergy from around the country, including Alfred Johnson (retired bishop from the New Jersey Episcopal Conference), Minerva Carcano (retired bishop from the San Francisco area), and Ann Sherer-Simpson (retired bishop from the Nebraska area).

After CEUMC Lay Leader Steve Hill welcomed the gathering, a procession of bishops and clergy was led into the sanctuary by granddaughters Dorothy and Bethany Ives, holding a candlelighter and a memorial box holding Janes’ ashes.

Gail Parker played both the organ and piano throughout the service, and special music, including the “Askokan Farewell, was performed by celloist Danny Rand from the Southern Maine and Midcoast symphonies.

A reception was held in Fellowship Hall following the service with food prepared by our United Women in Faith.

The family then traveled to Hallowell, Maine, for prayer and reflections at the Cox Memorial United Methodist Church, followed by a graveside committal service at Forest Grove Cemetery in Augusta.

A special thank you to Steve and Judith Hill for working closely with the Ives family to prepare every detail for the service, and to Rick Hughen for coordinating the order of the service and the AV and Zoom with Dom Linnell, to Linda Greer and Jeff Ward for arranging transportation for out-of-town guests, to Jim Tammaro, Rod Frey, and Joe Kubetz for coordinating parking, to Judith Hill and Jean Meyer for coordinating the reception, and to many others for behind-the-scenes contributions.

And thank you to Hobbs Funeral Home for working with our church to make this a well-orchestrated celebration of the life of Jane Ives.

More images of the service: