Jane Searle Frisa

Margaret Jane Searle Frisa of Lynchburg, Virginia, died peacefully at her home on Thursday, July 28, 2016, surrounded by her family and friends. Born on August 1, 1946, at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, she was a daughter of the late Capt. Willard F. Searle Jr. USN and Margaret Jackson DuBois. She was a proud Phi Beta Kappa/summa cum laude graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (1967).

According to her daughters, Jane knew everything and could do anything. She completed at least 91,825 projects in her lifetime and had started 4,067 others that her family will try their best to finish. By day, she was an acclaimed teacher of advanced calculus who taught thousands of students, inspiring them with both her smarts and her kindness, most recently at Jefferson Forest High School in Bedford until her retirement in 2013. By night and by weekend, she was a lover of animals, an artist, a master seamstress, gardener, horse wrangler, antiques collector, and an avid reader.

Jane was above all a woman of the community, helping so many through her charity, her friendship, and her sense of fairmindedness. She was instrumental in the founding of the Adult Care Center at the Court Street Methodist Church in downtown Lynchburg, an important community haven for residents needing extra care. A vital and active member of Peakland United Methodist Church, Jane embodied the Methodist ethic of service in countless ways, performing in the handbell choir, teaching Sunday school, and designing and making the church’s contemporary service banners by hand. In December 2015, Jane reached her goal of playing the bells for the church’s Christmas program, just months after recovering from major brain cancer surgery.

From fellow teachers to community leaders, she knew everyone, and everyone who knew her loved her. She especially impressed her friends with her sense of humor and positive outlook on life, whether by wearing an electric blue streak in her hair after half her head was shaved for surgery or sewing elaborate Halloween costumes for her granddog. Her biggest project, however, was her family—she was the picture of self-reliance and empathy to all, giving them the very example of what goodness is.

In 2013, she started yet one more new important project—this time as grandmother, and on trips to her beloved “shack” in Vermont, she was able to be next door to her grandson Rowan, where she could help integrate math into his early curriculum. In truth, the only thing she couldn’t do was spell (we proofread this obituary carefully, lest she influence us from beyond). Jane Frisa was a rare gem, and a whole community will be missing her advice and her example.

She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Edward E. Frisa Jr.; her mother Margaret (Fredericksburg); her children, Carolyn Frisa (Chester, VT) and her partner Garet McIntyre, and Elinor Frisa (Richmond) and her husband Timothy Barney; her treasured grandson Rowan McIntyre; her sister-in-law Beth Frisa (Arlington) and her husband Randy Rydell; her sister Wendy E. Rogers (Fredericksburg) and her husband William Rogers; their children Bryan, Adam, and Emily; her sister Polly J. Searle (Falls Church) and her partner Brian Leary; her cats Chessie and Olive; and her loving, devoted dog Pixie, who was with her at the end.

The family will receive friends from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. followed by a celebration of Jane’s life at Peakland United Methodist Church on Tuesday, August 2, 2016.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Lynchburg Humane Society, Peakland United Methodist Church, or a local charity of your choice.​