Jane Caroline Livingston

Jane Caroline Livingston of Briarcliff Manor died Wednesday May 3rd surrounded by her children. She was 67.

Jane loved being with her family, riding horses, gardening, spending time in the Colorado mountains, and enjoying the rocky shores of Maine. She had an adventurous spirit and loved to be active. She was passionate about interior design and was a relentlessly hard worker in all her endeavors.  She never gave up and served as a role model to her children and grandchildren. Her family and friends will miss her greatly.

Jane was born in Ohio to Johnston and Caroline Livingston and had an older brother Henry, an older sister Ann and a younger brother David. When Jane was ten, she and her siblings suffered the tragic loss of their mother, which left an indelible mark on her that she carried the rest of her life. But, as she did repeatedly over the subsequent 57 years, she overcame the unthinkable adversity and grew to be a strong and successful woman.

During her childhood, she moved homes several times, living in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Texas and Colorado. She graduated high school at the Kent School in Denver and earned her bachelor’s degree at Beloit College in Wisconsin.

Around 1977 following college, she moved to Washington DC to pursue a career in television and journalism. While working at the syndicated news show PM Magazine, she met her first husband, an award-winning cameraman named John Tomlin. They were married in 1980 and moved to New York to start their family that same year.

In New York, Jane continued her television career as she raised her children, rising to the position of producer for some of the most prominent television shows and networks of the time. Her employers included WABC, VH1, MTV, and Kingworld. She and her husband also ran their own production company where they sold television shows to major networks. She worked closely with some of the most well-known talent in the industry including Ernie Anastos, Storm Fields, Whitney Houston, Christo Yavoshef and many others.

As her youngest child prepared for college in 2003, Jane decided to change directions to pursue a career in mental health counseling. She was passionate about helping others and eliminating the stigma associated with mental illness. In 2005, she earned a Master’s Degree at Pace University and became a licensed Mental Health Counselor where she specialized in treating addiction. She worked at St. Christopher’s Inn in Garrison and at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.

In 2014, Jane received a life-changing diagnosis of ovarian cancer. At the time, she and her family feared the worst, but Jane bravely confronted her disease on her own terms. She insisted on not allowing cancer to define her for the rest of her life, and it was common for those who met her after her diagnosis to have no idea that she was living with a terminal illness.

Too disabled to work full time, she left her career as a mental health counselor at Phelps Hospital and launched her own business as a real estate stager. This provided her the flexibility to earn a living on her own schedule. She quickly built a reputation throughout the local real estate community as a talented and reliable professional stager. She grew her business significantly over the intervening years to the point where she was able to sustain herself financially and then some. Had it not been for her physical limitations, the business would have undoubtedly grown larger.

All the way to her last days, Jane showed amazing courage, wit, and kindness. She was a model of strength in dealing with the horror of cancer.

Jane is survived by her daughter Abby, son John, son in law Sam, daughter in law Jennifer, grandson Sam, granddaughter Lila, granddaughter Cordelia, grandson John, grandson Harrison and another grandchild expected in July 2023.

Services will occur at Waterbury and Kelly Funeral Home in Briarcliff Manor on Saturday May 6 at 1:00, followed by a celebration of life at her son John’s house in Briarcliff Manor, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be sent to Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, which provided outstanding care and comfort at the end of her life.

WATERBURY & KELLY FUNERAL HOME

1300 Pleasantville Road

Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510

914-941-0838

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