Margaret Jane Bush Tweddell
1951-2020
Margaret Jane Bush Tweddell departed for her Heavenly Home on December 15, 2020. She had been fighting a valiant battle against multiple forms of cancer for several months before she gave in and went as peacefully as was possible to join her father and grandparents in that better place that we all aspire to.
Jane was born in Chipping Sudbury, England in June of 1951 to Herbert and Marion Ruth Spratt Bush. She was born a Brit and died a Brit although she aspired to US citizenship and was in the process of upgrading her red British passport to the blue US one at the time of her diagnosis of serious cancer.
Jane studied first at Cirencester Grammar School, taking both O level exams (8 subjects at 16 years of age) and A level exams (3 subjects at 18 years of age). She then studied at South Bank Polytechnic, London earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Technology. She worked as the Quality Assurance Manager in the Dairy Industry in several locations for about 16 years.
She met and married Tim Tweddell about that time and, in 1989, they bought a property in Berkeley Springs, WV.
Jane received her Resident Visa (Green Card) and moved there in 1990. She became very busy with volunteer activities, in particular, she volunteered in the Public Library for several years and participated in the cataloguing of books with bar codes as part of the computerization project.
She was Treasurer of the Mount Zion Episcopal Church for a number of years. In addition to that service, Jane had a beautifully simple soprano voice and sang frequently at her church. She opened every Christmas Eve Service with “Once in Royal David’s City”, the hymn traditionally sung by Boy’s Choirs in England every Christmas.
Recently Jane drove a route for the Morgan County Meals on Wheels program. At one time Jane worked as a contractor for the Morgan County Health Department where she was charged with the organization and storage of the Department’s files in preparation for the computerization of those files.
Jane was an active member of the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League and, among other things, drove transports for dogs that had been received by the League from abused or neglectful homes. She was famous for her “Boot Camp for Rescued Dogs” wherein she housed and trained the dogs that had not received proper basic training before being rescued. She had a way with dogs and was able to break them of bad habits and instill good habits in them before they went on to their “Forever Homes”. She also adopted a number of Labs and trained then to be service dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a New York service organization.
An ardent quilter, Jane produced a number of very fine quilts that she mostly gave to her friends and family. Newly born children to members of her large group of friends could expect to receive a fine and unique quilt shortly after they arrived on this earth. She also did extremely fine hand sewing and helped one of her quilting buddies with some of the careful, detailed hand-sewing needed for some of the more exquisite quilts.
Jane had an ardent collection of cookie loving fans who waited more or less patiently for her fairly regular offerings of what might be termed “the best cookies this side of the Mississippi”. She also inherited the famous Nova Scotia Brownie recipe and produced both plain and nutty brownies for that adoring fan group whenever they assembled for some sort of holiday dinner.
Jane was admired by many and loved by even more. She was a fine friend for many years and could always be counted on for help in tough times and laughter in good times. We learned to understand her collection of British terms and she learned to understand most of our expressions.
One of her great American discoveries was that Friendly’s served Banana Splits at lunchtime and that she did not have to clean any plate before digging into that delicious and sumptuous treat.
Jane, you will be sorely missed by all your friends and associates. We offer you that famous sailor’s farewell, “Fair Winds and a Following Seas!” Go with God and find your peace!! J
ane has asked that there not be viewing nor Funeral Services but rather a gathering of her friends at a later date to remember her. That date has yet to be determined.
She asks that, in lieu of flowers, those who wish to do so to please make donations in her memory to the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane League, PO Box 285, Hanover, MD 21076 or the Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598.
paid obituary
