Jane Weitzman Bernstein

Jane Weitzman Bernstein died April 4th of cancer at her home in Sonoma, CA.  Her 76 years were filled with love and love for life. Sadness at her passing flows through all whose lives she deeply touched. Born and raised in Washington, DC, the daughter of Isadore and Gertrude Weitzman, she attended Woodrow Wilson High School, and the American University, where she studied literature. She married Richard Bernstein in 1963 and was a devoted mother to their two children, Baron and Tara. Jane and Richard lived in Washington, DC, in Georgetown and later Tulip Hill in Bethesda, Maryland.

In 1976 she started The Written Word, teaching herself to start and run a business while demonstrating the bookkeeping skills, acquired from her mother, which she employed throughout her life. As they would say, “she ran a clean ship.”  Located in Canal Square and Dupont Circle, The Written Word became the source for special event invitations and personalized stationery. Jane was also a competitive tennis player and accomplished sailor. She and Richard spent many weekends sailing on the Chesapeake Bay as well as St. Thomas. Her marriage to Richard ended in divorce.

In 1985, Jane met her second husband, Bob Ellis, also living in Washington. During their more than 30 years together, they lived in DC’s Palisades neighborhood, spent two years in Paris, and then moved to San Francisco in1997, where Bob pursued his interests in the technology industry. Next to Paris, Jane loved San Francisco - living on Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill and finally Nob Hill. She shared her husband’s passion for opera and enjoyed their involvement in the San Francisco Opera and Opera Parallele, as well as their travels to opera festivals in Salzburg and Glimmerglass. Their weekends were spent at their home in Sonoma, tending their vineyard, making wine, gardening and reading. She was a voracious reader, creative cook and entertainer, and a devoted partner.  Bob and Jane traveled widely. They have been committed to helping children in Siem Reap, Cambodia, through education and medical programs. Jane supported and stayed in close contact with children she met there.

Jane will be remembered as a beautiful woman, known for her signature gray hair; although her true beauty was expressed in her loyalty to those she loved, her enduring friendships, and a fierce determination to live life to the fullest.

She is survived by her husband, Bob Ellis, daughter Tara Bernstein and son Baron Bernstein, grandsons Jonah and Gabriel Bernstein, brother Buddy Weitzman and wife Nancy, niece Tracy Metro and nephew Ian Weitzman, stepson Erle Ellis and wife Ariane, and stepgrandchildren Ryan Ellis and Amaia Ellis.

No service is planned.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to http://caringforcambodia.org/donate-now/

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