Eleanor J. Stirniman, MD

Jane considered becoming a standup comic, but her parents objected, and after she had an vision that she wanted to dedicate her life to serving people in need – as a medical doctor all around the world, she followed her dream. Jane invested in the local people when serving in Africa and served as a dedicated role model to the next generation of medical professionals in every community she worked. In her retirement she became an advocate for foster children, a passionate gardener , a strong supporter of the arts – especially the opera, and an extraordinary friend.

Janes father Edward took his family from Brooklyn, Iowa, where Jane was born in 1934 to Australia and Hawaii as his engineering career at Caterpillar unfolded. She described her youth as idyllic, attending Punahoe School in Honolulu and playing on Oahu’s beaches long before tourists had arrived. Always returning to Brooklyn, Iowa, Jane moved to Rosary College in River Forest, IL following graduation from Brooklyn Public High School. After earning her BS in Chemistry and having completed all her pre-med courses, Jane joined the Medical Misson Sisters in November 1955 at age 21, remaining in the sisterhood for 25 years. Jane had realized early that joining this order would give her the option to become a doctor working in medically underserved communities.

As a Medical Mission Sister, Jane attended Georgetown Medical School, the only woman in her graduating class of 120 and became a ” of Georgetown.” Following a rotating internship at Misericordia Hospital in Philadelphia she pursued her surgical residency first at St. Vincent Hospital in Manhattan and finally at St. Louis University. At the completion of her residency, where she also was the only woman, Jane went to Ghana as the Medical Director of the Holy Family Hospital in Berekum, Brong/Ahafo where she served from 1970-1980. Seven years into her service, Jane met a young Dutch doctor, Jeanne Wiebenga who became her partner for the next 48 years. She considered those 10 years as the most rewarding of her life.

In 1980, Jane left Ghana and joined the Jamestown General Hospital as the first Medical Director of the new Emergency Department. Coworkers introduced her to Chautauqua Institution where she became so enamored with all that the summer season had to offer, the lectures, the arts, symphony and opera, and the beauty of the lake that she decided to make it her home. In 1981-82, she served as the Medical Director of Cambridge Hospital and as a Clinical Instructor in Surgery at Harvard. From 1989-1991, she joined her partner, Jeanne, an OB-GYN, to work in Blantyre, Malawi, at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, as a volunteer general surgeon. Upon her return to Jamestown, she started working at WCA Hospital (now: UPMC Chautauqua), where she served as an Emergency Room Physician until her retirement in 2000.

Jane invested her time and talent in her community creating the first medical protocols for the Chautauqua volunteer fire department. Always a very avid gardener, she created one of the most beautiful flower gardens around and won the Chautauqua Garden of the Year Award in 2000 and again in 2005 when she designed the garden for the Catholic House. She demonstrated her passionate support for the opera throughout her time in Chautauqua, joined the Opera Guild and each summer she and Jeanne adopted studio and apprentice artists, many of whom are still straying in touch. She served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for several foster children whose education she supported long after her appointment ended. She was a competitive golfer and bridge player and always the life of the party. She volunteered on Golf and Opera Boards. For 35 years she and Jeanne hosted the Annual Memorial Day Picnic, around the time all their friends returned for the summer. Before and after the Chautauqua season, Jane, Jeanne and friends traveled widely throughout the world.

She will be remembered for her generosity, willingness to help anyone in need and her healing hands. Nobody could tell stories like Jane. Her incomparable sense of humor and dry wit were still evident and inspired her friends to the very last day of her life. She will be deeply missed.

Celebrating her life are not only her partner of 48 years Jeanne Wiebenga, but also a host of nieces and nephews, and many dear friends. A memorial service is planned for the spring of 2026 just before the Chautauqua Season opens. The family suggests making gifts in her memory to the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (www.chautauquawatershed.org the Chautauqua Opera Guild.

To leave words of condolence, please visit lindfuneralhome.com.