Jane Lackas Vincent Kieckhefer

After a life of courage and adventure, Jane Vincent Kieckhefer, 93, passed away on August 29, 2017 in Naples, Florida. Born Jane Elaine Lackas on October 25, 1923 in Neosho, Wisconsin, she attended high school in Hartford and was the first in her family to attend college. She received a teaching certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. After college Jane became a K-8 teacher in a rural Wisconsin one-room schoolhouse. Her future held additional adventures. Her first flight was to attend training to become a TWA stewardess. As a TWA stewardess she made lifelong friends and survived a crash in which her quick action to secure passengers ensured no fatalities. Her 1946 marriage to career US Air Force pilot Donald Eugene Vincent resulted in five children and twenty moves across the country, including two tours in Alaska while still a territory. Widowed at the age of 40 with four children, she became the head of the new charge card department at the Bank of Wisconsin in Madison. She moved to Naples, FL, in 1975, where she enjoyed a successful career as a real estate broker. In 1979 she and daughter Tamara became the first family in Naples to host an international high school exchange student through AFS; the Swiss student is still considered part of the family. After retirement she completed a life goal of cruising around the world on the QE2. At nearly 70, she met William “Bill” Kieckhefer. They married in 1991, but Jane was sadly widowed again six years later. In her later years, Jane enjoyed international travel with her daughter Tina, took up bocce ball, enjoyed water aerobics and a daily crossword puzzle, faithfully attended performances at the Naples Philharmonic, and happily visited children and grandchildren in Colorado and North Carolina. Jane is preceded in death by her parents, Arnold and Betty Lackas; brothers David and Bobby; husband US Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Eugene Vincent; husband William Kieckhefer; and sons Mark and Todd. She is survived by son Tracy Vincent (Vuthavy) of Colorado; daughter Tina Vincent of Naples; daughter Tamara Slaughter (Jim) of North Carolina; grandchildren US Army Sgt. Tarissa Vincent, Travis Vincent, Freeman Slaughter, McKinley Slaughter, and Wyatt Slaughter; Swiss exchange student Ursula Sahli of London, UK; and dear friend David Weaver of Naples. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the wonderful nurses and care professionals of the Bentley Village Care Center for their support in her final days. A service of remembrance and burial will be held in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity or March of Dimes, both favorite charities of Jane’s. Arrangements are being handled by Shikany's Bonita Funeral Home.

Jane Lackas Vincent Kieckhefer

October 25, 1923 - August 29, 2017