I read with sadness late last week about the passing of Jan Sylvester-Jamerson, a 70-year-old Lewis County native and a longtime volunteer for the Lewis County Historical Museum who died of cancer on Wednesday night.
Many times at museum fundraisers or simply walking into the old Chehalis railroad depot, I’d be greeted with a smile from Jan, who always shared a friendly word.
I’ll never forget the time we were talking about her parents, Rowland A. “Sy” and Helen Sylvester, and I opened the index of the history book “Chehalis: A Can-Do Community” and pointed out references to her father, Sy Sylvester. An Army Air Force veteran of World War II, Sylvester moved to Chehalis in 1952 and joined with Lee Giffey as a partner in Giffey’s Hardware. Then, from 1959 to 1975, he co-owned Bartels Clothing in Chehalis with Bill Fahey.
During the 1950s, he was involved with a group known as the Gandy Dancers who sold railroad ties to extend a spur line into what became the Chehalis Industrial Park, where he served on the board of directors from 1985 to 1995. He was also a founder of the Downtown Improvement Club. He died at 81 on May 9, 1997.
In 1952, Jan’s parents adopted a son from the Catholic Community Agency in Seattle. In September two years later, they adopted Jan, who was born on Aug. 2, 1954.
Jan grew up in Chehalis, graduated in 1972 from W.F. West, and obtained a college degree four years later. She lived most of her life in Lewis County except for six years in Portland and later in Winlock. She worked for almost a decade with her father and brother in Bartels Clothing.
In the 1990s, she worked at the Chehalis Post Office and then at the Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce four years as a receptionist and events coordinator before taking a job in 1995 with the Business Resource Center Inc. in Chehalis. An avid bowler, Jan served as president of the Lewis County Women’s Bowling Association.
At the age of 51, she petitioned the court for disclosure of her adoption papers and, with her birth mother’s name — Lillian Todd — launched a search to learn more about her family. In 2005, she connected with a half-sister in Beaver Creek, Ohio, Sheila Johnson, who flew west in 2008 so they could meet in person. She also learned of another half-sister, Diane, in Texas.
In July 2010, when she married John Jamerson at Bethel Church in Chehalis, she worked at Rite Aid in Centralia.
“She was a beautiful soul and amazing wife who knew and loved everyone the same,” her husband said.
Jan volunteered at God’s Closet Too, a nonprofit thrift shop, and the Lewis County Historical Museum.
“All of us at the Lewis County Historical Museum are very saddened to hear of the passing of our longtime friend and volunteer Jan Sylvester-Jamerson,” Executive Director Jason Mattson wrote in a Facebook post. “Jan spent countless hours volunteering her time at our events and keeping the research library up to date. Finding someone as dedicated as Jan will be nearly impossible.”
Jan received the museum’s Volunteer of the Year award in 2018 in recognition of her dedicated service.
“She never shied away from helping with events,” Mattson said. “If she couldn’t help with one, she’d feel bad about it. She was invaluable to me as a volunteer. She stepped in when others couldn’t and stayed longer if needed.”
Former Chehalis Mayor Dennis Dawes graduated with Jan from W.F. West in 1972 and later served on the museum board.
“I would see her around town off and on as well as at class reunions,” he said. “She became a loyal volunteer at the LCHM for a number of years as well as another nonprofit called God’s Closet. Jan was always willing to help at our class reunions.”
Many people offered comments on Facebook about Jan’s kindness, her friendly smile and her commendable dedication to helping others.
“She will be missed,” Dawes said.
“Jan was a very dedicated volunteer at LCHM,” said Edna Fund, former Lewis County commissioner and museum board member. “She would always help at the annual meeting, pancake breakfast, and with historical research.”
The museum has been blessed with dedicated volunteers through the years, including Margaret (Shaver) Shields and Margaret Langus, who have both passed away, along with Aileen Louise Deggeller, Angel Carlson, Carol Wood and now Jan Sylvester-Jamerson. Whenever I stopped by a week or so ago, I saw volunteers Betty Garrett, Ted Livermore and Bill Teitzel leading schoolchildren on tours.
It's nice to see people willing to volunteer their time to local organizations when so many people nowadays expect to be paid.
Then I look around at all the people who give time to organize the Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research, those who volunteer time to coach softball, baseball, basketball, football and other sports teams, dedicated parents who groom the fields and staff the concession stands, umpires and referees who give up weeknights and weekends to encourage youngsters in sports.
Not everybody seeks money to help.
Volunteers are a blessing, and in return, I hope they feel blessed by giving to others.
Celebration of life
A celebration of Jan Sylvester-Jamerson’s life begins at 11 a.m. on June 7 at the New Beginnings Church in Chehalis with a potluck afterward at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis to share stories and memories.
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
