Jane Fleischbein

Jane Helen Fleischbein, 62, died with her husband by her side after an almost three-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was born to Alan Theodore (Ted) and Marjorie Fleischbein on April 20, 1953, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jane and her family moved from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, to Seattle, Washington, in 1957, where they lived in West Queen Anne and then Lawtonwood. She attended high school at Helen Bush, graduating in 1971, and she always spoke fondly of her time there. After high school, Jane left home to begin work in a wide range of occupations, starting as a teacher’s aide at Fairhaven, Western Washington University, then working as a counselor in Bellingham and Seattle. In 1977, she moved on to become a park ranger at Fort Canby State Park in Ilwaco, Washington, and then an assistant teacher. It was during the ’70s that Jane caught the commercial fishing bug, and began her life on a salmon troller. She fished on the FV Mona and really took to life on the water. But, she had trouble with seasickness, and the smell of diesel would get her started feeling nauseated. When she went home after the season was over, she rode city buses and would sit in the back so she would smell the fumes and not associate the smell with being sick. It showed such determination to continue fishing! (Always thinking rationally as well...) When the Boldt decision changed commercial salmon seasons, she wanted to continue life on the water, so her next stop was Clatsop Community College in Astoria where she obtained an associate’s degree in oceanographic technology. She then began working in the School of Oceanography at Oregon State University in 1981, first as a student worker while she finished her Bachelor of Arts from Evergreen College in Olympia, and later as a Faculty Research Assistant. Jane excelled at this job: she participated in countless research cruises to study the waters off Oregon, California, Peru, Ecuador and those in the far western Equatorial Pacific Ocean. Jane recruited and trained volunteers and graduate students to work at sea safely and effectively; she organized logistics and devised sampling protocols; she processed, archived, and analyzed oceanographic data. She published technical reports, developed and maintained a website, and was co-author of several scientific papers. She was widely respected and appreciated by professors, students, technicians and crew members alike; she made friends wherever she went. Her work at sea and ashore was essential to the fundamental research that has advanced our understanding of ocean currents and phenomena such as coastal upwelling, seasonal variations, and the ocean’s response to El Nino. Even while working full time as an oceanographer and raising her family, Jane was always interested in learning and in new opportunities. She was always taking one college course or another; she earned a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in nursing while continuing to work full time. She first took leave from her work as an oceanographer to deliver mail for the U.S. Postal Service in Astoria for several months. A decade later, Jane taught second grade at Lincoln School for two years. After her retirement from OSU in 2009, Jane worked first as a nurse in Corvallis and Lebanon in the Samaritan Health System, and then as a public health nurse and public health nurse supervisor with the Linn County Public Health Department. She always said that her favorite nursing work was in public health. Jane's love of nature wasn't limited to the ocean. She was a hiker, skier and birder; she loved to see wildlife in their environment. With her planning and organizing skill, she made it possible for many friends and family to enjoy the natural world with her. Jane was a conscientious citizen. She served on the Benton County Planning Commission for several years, and was deeply concerned about environmental issues and sustainability. Most recently, she was involved in local emergency planning, serving on the Stoneybrook Village Preparedness Committee and the Linn County Medical Reserve Corps. Jane is survived by her husband, Danny Kugler, daughter Hali Kugler and granddaughter Cameron Ryan Ensor, all of Corvallis; brother Mark Fleischbein and sister-in-law Flora Tenzler of Anacortes, Washington; many cousins; and numerous friends who will all miss her sunny smile and friendly disposition. She will sorely be missed. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, 1101 14th Street NW, Suite 850, Washington, D.C. 20005 (www.ovariancancer.org).

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Jane Fleischbein

April 20, 1953 - April 5, 2016