SHARON — Jayne Peterson Larsen passed away peacefully on April 4, 2022, in her home in Vernon with her husband, Ron, by her side. She was 81 years old.
Jayne, daughter of the late Melvin and Marie (Aakjar) Peterson, was born in Sharon and attended Housatonic Valley Regional High School, where she excelled in theatre, clubs, and friendships. She was voted “Ideal Little Sister” for her graduating class of 1958.
An irrepressible soul, Jayne was well known for her generosity of spirit, quick wit, and passion for life. With her faithful “Ronny” by her side, Jayne was up for any adventure — from pulling her kids out of school and moving to Europe for six months in the 1970s, to purchasing two time share units at their beloved Trapp Family Lodge, to vacationing two weeks every year at the Cape with her grandkids at her cousin’s vacation home. Any opportunity to see the world, sample cuisine, and meet people would see the luggage come out (and Jayne was amazing at packing suitcases!)
Jayne never met a stranger, and regularly welcomed international travelers Ron brought home from work, family both local and abroad, and friends her children brought home for holidays, all the dear friends she felt them to be. There was always room in her home, at her table, and in her heart. When her daughter came home with an exchange student in need of a home for a year, Jayne and Ron welcomed Mieke D’hooge into their family, cementing a friendship that continues through the next generation.
Jayne’s jubilant spirit led to many madcap stories, which entertained friends and family for years: during a summer working in Cape Cod with a cousin, she was nearly bombed at the SS James Longstreet when the charter fishing boat wouldn’t start; she stopped traffic in downtown Rockville dressed as a nun so she could visit a dear friend in the hospital; she laid down in a Boston intersection to re-enact a scene from the revolutionary Boston Massacre so Mieke could get a picture.
Holidays were always an event when Jayne was cooking — she showed her love for everyone through cooking. From picnics in the summer to epic cookie making at Christmas, Ron was frequently heard to exclaim, “Too much food!” But friends and family always benefitted, sent home from the feast with “leftovers,” and Ron’s coworkers always appreciated the hundreds of cookies that appeared in the breakroom. Her wit, her joy, and her baking will be missed by all.
She is survived by her loving husband, Ron, son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Nina Larsen of Las Vegas, daughter, Britt Rothauser, twin grandchildren, Kat and Haley Rothauser, and exchange daughter Mieke van der Velpen-D’hooge and family of Leuven, Belgium, as well as a brother and sister-in-law, John “Pete” and Ruby Peterson of Sharon and nieces, Lynn Peterson Kent and Lesa Peterson Rein, and their families.
In lieu of flowers, donations for the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundations would be appreciated. The family would like to express their overwhelming gratitude to the Visiting Nurse and Health Services of Connecticut for helping Ron with hospice care. There will be no services, as Jayne preferred parties, but the family will have a picnic in her honor over the summer — and, of course, there will be “too much food!”
