Jane Ellen Putnam was born February 11, 1951 in Haleyville, Alabama. She was a beautiful baby with dark hair and blue eyes. The family settled into a comfortable routine after her birth, but only a few months later life suddenly took a drastic turn. The Salk vaccine for the prevention of polio would not be available until 1955, and fears of this highly contagious virus were widespread. Jane contracted polio at the age of nine months, and much of her body was permanently paralyzed. She would spend the remainder of her life in this weakened condition.
Parents George and Mildred Putnam knew Jane would face tough obstacles in her future, so they determined to make her as independent as possible. They pushed her to do things for herself, knowing she would need such skills to survive. Older brother Steve was determined to have his sister as a playmate too, so he helped her climb trees, swim, and generally raise the roof. The two of them stayed in trouble pretty much throughout their childhood.
Jane spent many summers as a patient at the Warm Springs Foundation in Warm Springs, Georgia, an institute established by Franklin D. Roosevelt and dedicated to research, treatment, and rehabilitation of those affected by the polio virus. It was FDR who initiated the March of Dimes Foundation, and Jane was a poster child for that organization. Years later she worked to help pass laws in the state of Alabama that would assist disabled persons.
Jane did have physical limitations, but she met them with courage and resourcefulness. She loved to drive the pony cart Uncle Grady built for her and later learned to drive a car with the help of a special pedal her dad invented. She was the first of the family to attend college, zipping around the campus in a golf cart. She participated in school programs using her beautiful singing voice, and she found many avenues for the expression of her creative talents. She was an accomplished folk artist, designing one-of-a-kind dolls, cards, crafts, sculptures, illustrations, and gifts. She taught arts and crafts at a summer camp and at her local public library.
Jane’s two sons, John Grady and Joe, were the joy of her life. She loved them deeply and cherished the time they spent together. She adored her husband Neil as well, and he adored her. They were married for sixteen years, and took good care of each other. Jane especially enjoyed hearing about Neil’s truck-driving adventures. His sense of humor was the perfect match for hers, and she often called other family members to relate one of his stories.
In fact, no one could be around Jane without being affected by her great good humor. She had a dry wit and was always the first to find the funny side to a situation. She endured stares and questions throughout much of her life, but this too became the source of many humorous tales. She liked to relate the story about her son Joe when he was a little boy. Seeing Jane in a wheelchair, Joe’s playmate asked him what was wrong with his mother. Joe paused for a moment and then answered, “Well…she has a bad cold.” Another child, seeing her remove her braces as she prepared to take a swim in the local pool, approached her wide-eyed and asked with wonder: “Are you bionic?”
More than any other quality, Jane had a special compassion for others. She was a natural teacher and took a number of children under her wing through the years, baking cookies with them, enjoying art experiences together, teaching them the alphabet, and reading books with them. She rarely mentioned the severe, chronic pain she endured, preferring instead to focus on the next project she could design or the next gift she could make for someone.
Last month Jane welcomed her first grandchild, George Hollis Brown, son of Joe and Sara. She was thrilled beyond words at this precious new life and looked forward to seeing him grow up.
Jane was tired, though. She had dealt courageously with enormous challenges since before she could remember, and finally her exhausted body just gave out. On Thursday morning, December 9, she closed her eyes for the last time and was gone.
Jane was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. All of her life she struggled against incredible odds just to do the simple things most of us take for granted.
Many times she told her husband Neil that she longed to be able to stand and to run. Just run.
Now she is in heaven, surrounded by loved ones who have gone on before. Her body is well and whole now. She can finally run free.
Song of Songs, chapter 2:10-13 “My beloved spoke, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land… Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
