Jane Courtney Weed, of Lewiston, died at Hospice House in Auburn on Sept. 1. Born in Damariscotta on June 12, 1949, the daughter of Emmett S. Weed and Mary H. Weed, she graduated from the Northfield School for Girls and from Fisher College.
Ms. Weed was a resident of Augusta from 1972 through 1980, then made her home in Auburn, with her husband, Stephen Kottler, until they moved to Lewiston in 1988.
She had a number of jobs and careers in her rich and varied life. During the 1970s, she was active in the Maine labor movement as one of the first women to be a union business agent, representing a largely male labor force in municipal government as she traveled state-wide, organizing workers and negotiating contracts on their behalf. With characteristic polite but fierce resolution, she broke glass ceilings in Maine, and later was joined by other women who aspired to represent their peers in the textile and papermaking unions. At that time she also was a tireless advocate for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Next, she worked her way up from an entry-level position to become Director of the State Employment and Training Council.
Ms. Weed then turned to a career involving her visual and creative talents, and formed Jane Weed Interiors, a firm offering design services for commercial and residential properties. She was active in the Maine Interior Design Association. In addition, she worked in a plant nursery expanding her knowledge of exterior design by learning garden design and maintenance.
As a final career, Ms. Weed worked in the Auburn Public Library’s circulation department from 2002 to 2005, then became the head of Circulation Services at the Lewiston Public Library. An avid reader, she enjoyed creating seasonal displays involving books and other materials, to the delight of library patrons.
Ms. Weed was predeceased by her mother in 1995 and her father in 2000.
She is survived by her husband, Stephen Kottler of Lewiston; and brother, Captain Jay T. Weed of Key West, Fla.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to The Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice Foundation, 15 Strawberry Ave., Lewiston, ME 04240.
