Jane Callison Ruckman Curry, age 89, died Friday, May 17, 2024, on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Although her family is heartbroken to lose her, we are comforted to know she has finally been reunited with Dr. Virgil Lee (Jimmy) Curry, her childhood friend and loving husband, who tragically died far too young.
Like the books she dearly loved and devoured by the thousands, Jane’s life was a rich mixture of genres. Her last bookcase was custom built, tightly packed and overflowing into stacks that wove through her apartment.
On the bookshelf, perched in a place of honor is The History of Pocahontas County, West Virginia – 1981.
Born and raised in Marlinton, Jane graduated from Marlinton High School and West Virginia University, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.
In the bottom left corner, within easy reach, you will find her bird books, except for the one she kept on her porch next to her binoculars. Her books about gardening do not have a dedicated section but she often said your life was not truly full unless you had a gardening friend with whom you could converse at least 30 minutes about dirt.
Missing from the bookshelves are the many cookbooks she had already gifted to her children. Jane was a phenomenal cook and consummate hostess, especially during the years she and Jimmy were raising their three children in Mableton, Georgia.
Tucked away on the bookshelf are a few current political works. She was a longtime member of the League of Women Voters. Her tireless volunteer work also included being a founding member of the South Cobb Arts Alliance and a local children’s theater.
There is a robust section of nature guides inspired by her bold new start on Hilton Head after Jimmy’s death. She revered the natural history of this special island and worked for a decade in an industry that celebrated the Lowcountry.
Paradise: Memories of Hilton Head in the Early Days was the final book she borrowed from the library.
A woman of impeccable style, beauty and flair, she kept a copy of The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette and lifelong subscriptions to Town and Country, Vanity Fair and the New Yorker, of whose cover art she had an uncanny recall.
Jane was an intrepid traveler and opened the world to each of her children with study abroad experiences. This made a lasting impact that included welcoming two new cultures into her life when both daughters married.
Jane is survived by her children, Laura Curry de Groen, of Antwerp, Belgium, Lucy Curry Senior, of Auckland, New Zealand, and Virgil Lee Curry Jr. (Jame), of Adairsville, Georgia; grandchildren, Frans, Anne-Elise, Thomas, Marlon, Ashlynn, Wade and Jaxson; and great-grandson, Frans IV.
A private person in her later years, Jane requested a family-only memorial service and no flowers or donations in her memory, but hoped you would always support your local libraries and bookstores.