Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 118. No. 1	January 6, 2010

Profile on Longevity - Jane England

Jane Rinoldo England, 85, Paoli, Ind., was born Sept. 15, 1924, in Cambridge, Mass. She lived with her parents, Jennie and Orazio Rinoldo and seven siblings in a large farmhouse. “My parents were very strict Italians,” she recalled. “I don’t think I dated until I was more than 16 years old. They always wanted to know where I was going and who I was with.”

When Jane was 13 years old, their home burned to the ground. The family lived in a couple of temporary houses before they eventually settled into another large farmhouse.

Jane graduated from St. Peters High School in Cordaville, Mass., which is approximately 26 miles from Boston. After graduation, she got a job in a dry-cleaning establishment in Framingham. She was 19 years old. It was there she met 26-year-old Robert Ashcraft, a soldier in the U.S. Army.

“He came in to leave his uniforms to be cleaned,” she explained. “He was from Brandenburg, but he was stationed in Massachusetts. It was love at first sight.”

They dated for about seven weeks and were married on May 16, 1944. Shortly after, they were married, Robert brought his young bride to Brandenburg to meet his parents, Will and Clara Ashcraft. After a couple of weeks with his parents, the newlyweds returned to Massachusetts. Robert was sent to Richmond, Va., and Jane visited him there in July. When he was shipped overseas in November, Jane returned to Massachusetts. At that time, she was pregnant with their first daughter. In September, when the child was 16 weeks old, Robert returned home for good.

“He was so lonesome for his family in Brandenburg,” she said. “We came down for a visit and he wanted to stay so badly. So we went back, hired a truck, brought all of our stuff down here and we just stayed.” They moved in with his parents and Robert helped his dad on the farm. At this time, they were expecting their second child.

Robert later got a job at Olin-Mathieson, which is the present Arch Chemicals. The couple had seven children together – Jane, Diane (deceased), William (Bill), Mary, Elizabeth, Elaine and Suzanne (Susie). He worked at the plant for approximately 10 years. In 1966, Robert died of heart disease. Jane was a widow, struggling to raise her children alone. She took a part-time job at the bowling alley which is now known as Lynn’s Pins.

In the summer of 1971, Elroy Pollock came to Jane’s home to work on her washing machine. The two began dating and were married Oct. 16, 1971. Elroy had previously opened Pollock’s Appliance and Furniture in Payneville and he and Jane operated it from 1971-1990. Elroy repaired and sold appliances and also made furniture. Jane was bookkeeper and also sold appliances at the business. On July 4, 1990, Elroy succumbed to an infection that had poisoned his system. Once again, Jane was a widow.

In the spring of 1994, Floyd England entered Jane’s life. The two were at a dance at the Meade County Senior Citizens Center. “I walked over and asked him to dance,” she said. “He’s a shy man.” Six weeks later, they were married in Tomkinsville. Floyd had nine children of his own (two are deceased).
Jane and Floyd enjoy dancing. They attend the dance at the Senior Citizens Center at least twice a week and “wherever there’s a dance.” Jane used to help out at the Meade County Clothes Closet. She, Blanche Davison and Mary Helen Chism are credited with starting the “Brown Bag Sale.” Jane also enjoyed volunteering for Hospice, as well as for Medco during the years she lived in Meade County. She and Floyd have been volunteers at the Food Pantry in Paoli for the past six years. Jane was a member of St. John Catholic Church for 46 years before moving to Indiana. She now attends Christ the King Catholic Church in Indiana.

Besides her seven children, Jane has 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, as well as numerous step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

Jane and Floyd enjoy life. “We stay home for a day and then we get restless. We have to do something. I like being with people.”

Jane’s family, friends and her Catholic faith have been her rock throughout her life.

Her philosophy of life is simple, “Stay busy and active.”

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