By the family

March 26, 2025: Jane Whitehouse Goodwin passed away peacefully on March 15, 2025.  She was born on October 29, 1938 in Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, NY to Franklin S. Whitehouse and Hester Oakley Meigs Whitehouse.  She was a musician, teacher, artist, writer, composer, flower-arranger, and leader.

Jane attended Bronxville Public School, Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY.  At the Dalcroze School of Music in New York City, Jane met her future husband, John Goodwin, and she earned a Certification in Music Education.

After marrying in 1967, she and John moved to Bronxville and started the very successful Goodwin Music Studio, where she taught piano and flute.  They continued to teach music after moving to Atkinson, NH in 1985.

In 1988, Jane started the bell choir at the Atkinson Congregational Church which was one of her truest joys in life. Eventually, she directed the adult, children’s, men’s, and community bell choirs.  In addition, Jane composed and arranged bell pieces.  Originally hired as Children’s Choir Director, she also served as Chancel Choir Director, substitute organist, and deacon of the church. 

One of Jane’s passions was gardening and arranging flowers.  She joined the Atkinson Garden Club in 1986 and served as president from 1992-1994 and again from 2020-2022.  She also served on the state level as president of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. from 2001-2003 and again from 2015-2017.

Beyond her career, Jane found immense joy in the outdoors, especially at her beloved family home on Big Wolf Lake in the Adirondack Mountains.  In addition, the deep-rooted history of her family’s legacy in the Adirondacks and in Bronxville were incredibly important to her.

Jane was the great-granddaughter of William Van Duzer Lawrence, a visionary businessman who played a vital role in shaping Bronxville in the late 1800’s and founded Sarah Lawrence College.  She was also the granddaughter of Ferris J. Meigs, the owner and operator of the Santa Clara Lumber Company, whose innovative forestry methods helped promote conservation efforts in the Adirondacks.

Jane is survived by her niece, Elizabeth K. Whitehouse, and her nephew, Franklin S. Whitehouse, as well as her great nephews, Fritz, Andrew, Alex, and Aiden. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered for her kindness, infectious laugh, and the music she brought into the world. 

A memorial service will be held at the Atkinson Congregational Church on Sunday, March 30, and in July, the family will hold a memorial service at her Adirondack home.