Jane Parker

Jane B. Parker, 64, passed away peacefully on April 25, 2023 after a short but brave battle with cancer. She was born at Fort Sam Houston, a U. S. Army base in San Antonio, Texas, while her father John was a Captain. Jane and her siblings grew up in Leominster, Massachusetts and summered in Ipswich. She graduated from Lawrence Academy in Groton, Barnard College and Boston College Law School. Jane was a practicing attorney for over 25 years, and spent the last 18 years of her career in the legal department of W. R. Berkley Corporation, where she was a loyal and dedicated employee. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of the insurance world, and those who had the fortune of working alongside her all learned something from her. She exemplified what it means to be a team player, and often took on more work to ease the burden of a colleague who needed it. Jane was a truly invaluable employee. While she was very accomplished in her professional career, her biggest achievement and source of pride was her daughter, Isabella (Izzy) Parker. Izzy was the namesake of her two grandmothers: Isabella Butkiewicz and Patricia Morgan Parker. Jane raised Izzy with true New England values and provided her with a first-class education through Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich and Boston University. Sadly, Jane won’t see her beloved daughter matriculate in law school this Fall, following in her footsteps. Jane will leave a huge hole in all of our lives. She was a mentor, friend, and sounding board to everyone she touched. She had an incredible sense of humor, and always had the ability to make someone laugh and smile when they needed it. No matter how big your problem, Jane could be relied upon to be an empathetic listener. Jane loved to cook, paint watercolors, a glass of good white wine, summers in Ipswich, and her beloved yellow lab, Finn. She is predeceased by her parents, Dr. John Vincent Butkiewicz and Isabella Valcour Butkiewicz and survived by her siblings Vincent, Patricia, Mary, and Peter; her daughter, Isabella; and her nieces and nephews that she loved as if they were her own: Harry & William Parsons, Kathleen & Elizabeth Mahoney, Laura, Kathryn, and Jamie Farquhar, and John Hajime Butkiewicz. A memorial service is scheduled for 1:00 on Thursday, May 4th at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Riverside, CT. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Fairfield County Hospice House in Stamford, CT.