Jane Fairbank Westenberg

Jane F. Westenberg, 97, a resident of Kimball Farms retirement lifecare community in Lenox, MA, died on September 20, 2020. The former Jane Fairbank Burbach was born in 1923 in Rochester, MN, the daughter of Glen and Elaine Burbach. She graduated from Rochester High School in 1941. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College, Northfield, MN, in 1945

While at Carleton she met Arthur Westenberg upon his return from World War II in which he served as a US Navy radar officer on an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. In 1945, she married Arthur A. Westenberg and they moved to Cambridge, MA where he earned a doctorate at Harvard. They lived for many years in Maryland—first in Silver Spring and then in the newly planned city of Columbia--while Dr. Westenberg was a member of the principal professional staff and supervisor of research in chemical physics at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Westenberg died in December 2002.

During Mrs. Westenberg’s Maryland years, in addition to being a homemaker and mother, she did extensive volunteer work in area schools and wrote free-lance travel articles and restaurant reviews for local newspapers.

Following her husband’s retirement in 1977 after a distinguished career at the Applied Physics Laboratory, Jane and her husband moved to Manchester, VT. Always enthusiastic travelers, while residing in Vermont they continued to enjoy many more years of travel throughout Europe. Mrs. Westenberg became an active member of the Garden Club of Manchester in 1979, serving as an officer and club historian for many years. Mrs. Westenberg learned her love for flowers and gardening from her mother Elaine. She was a lifetime member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Vermont and was later named an honorary member of the Manchester Club. She was also involved in various town beautification projects as well as with the Manchester Historical Society.

Mrs. Westenberg was an energetic supporter of the Southern Vermont Arts Center, where she served as an active volunteer on the hospitality committee and as a receptionist, as well as membership chairman for several years.

In 1999, she and her husband moved to Kimball Farms, where Mrs. Westenberg continued her life-long interest in flowers and served on various committees. Many residents knew her as “the Flower lady” for the many years she volunteered to do the flower arrangements at Kimball Farms.

Mrs. Westenberg is survived by a son, Lee Arthur Westenberg, and his wife Lynn of Waterford, CT, and their beloved Welsh Corgi, Zelda. Burial arrangements will be private.