First Name of deceased: Naomi “Jane”
Last Name of deceased: Slonaker
Date of Birth: 14 Jan 1925
Date of Death: 19 Jan 2002
Town: Mechanicsburg
County: Cumberland
State: Pennsylvania
Country: USA
First of all, she was always known as Jane or Janie, never Naomi. Jane Slonaker was nearly 4 years older than her only sibling, Mary Lou. Jane lived with her parents until their deaths: her father, Jerry, in 1974, and mother, Merian, in 1982. Until maybe the late 1960’s (guessing at a date here), she lived at the house she was born in, a house in New Kingstown that had an outhouse and a pump for water until the day they moved out. Janie and her parents moved into an apartment on Main Street in Mechanicsburg for several years. Following the death of her dad & then her maternal uncle Lawrence in 1978, she and her mother moved into his house in New Kingstown. Soon after her mother’s death in 1982, she moved into a mobile home community between Mechanicsburg and New Kingstown, and lived there until her death in 2002.
In the mobile home, her only roommate was her much loved cat, Snowflake. Snowflake was a big, white cat who left her fur everywhere and as Jane got older her ability to clean up after the cat decreased. It was not uncommon after a visit to find seemingly everything coated in cat fur. The mobile home had two bathrooms – one for Jane and one for Snowflake.
Jane never married and had no children. There is rumor of a long ago engagement but anyone who could provide more info about this is now deceased.
She enjoyed spending time with her five nieces – the Rider girls – and every Easter and start of the school year she would treat them to a new outfit. Early on, she would take the oldest nieces on a bus to downtown Carlisle (from New Kingstown, this was a trip “into town”) to pick out clothes. As much as she loved her nieces, at times it wasn’t readily apparent as she was not known for smiling very often or showing affection. It was only after her death that the oldest niece, Cindy, found her journal stating how much she liked when family visited her.
She enjoyed hosting family Christmas – in whatever home she lived in, including the trailer. It meant a lot of people crowded into a small space, but she continued this tradition as long as she was able. She also continued the tradition of making sandtart cookies at Christmas. In her later years, her niece Barb was the only one to bake with her as she probably had the most patience for what wasn’t always an easy task . . . . And it wasn’t uncommon to find some cat hair in a cookie.
Jane worked for about 30 years, until her retirement, in a clerical position at the Navy Support Activity Center in Mechanicsburg, more commonly known as the Navy Depot. She was a proud supporter of NARFE events (National Association of Retired Federal Employees).
She enjoyed going out to eat & liked to visit the Shamrock restaurant in Maryland, over an hour from her home, taking her family or friends on a road trip several times per year.
In her last few years, she did a lot of reading, cross stitch and crossword puzzles/word searches. She also frequently bought items on QVC and the Home Shopping Network. Many of these items were found unopened, while cleaning out her home after her death.
Much of the other details of her life are unknown as she was a very private person. In the later years, her health failed badly making it very hard for her to walk. Although it was hard at times to know if she was truly happy, she is now at peace with her parents, sister and beloved cat Snowflake.
* Published 8 July 2021. Based on info from her nieces.