Obituary of Jane Elizabeth Erice

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jane Elizabeth Merwin Erice at the age of 64. Jane, who has lived in Santa Cruz since 1979, passed away on November 24, 2012 after a 9-month battle with an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer. Jane died peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family. Jane was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 19, 1948, the daughter of Agnes Marie Gerhardt and Bruce Merwin. Jane grew up in Huntington, New York before moving to Miami, Florida, where she was married and gave birth to her 2 children. Jane's life passion was her work, and she was proud of the career she had achieved. After moving to Santa Cruz, Jane worked at Dominican Hospital for 5 years. Jane also worked for 13 years at the Santa Cruz Medical Clinic before returning to Dominican. At the time of her death, Jane was the Director of Patient Financial Services at Dominican. She also worked on the Dominican Ethics Board, and took great pride helping patients through financial crises caused by unexpected medical bills. There are very few people on this Earth as strong, fearless, compassionate and or as fun-loving as Jane. Even at the worst of times, she always had a smile and a kind word for anyone. The world is a lesser place without her. Jane is survived by her two children, Alison and David, and their spouses, Jason and Jerine. She also had 7 grandchildren: David, Alyssa, Ryan, Alexa, Isabel, Emily and Anthony. Though she loved her grandchildren very much, her pride and joy were her 2 puppies Prince and Barry. A celebration of Jane's life will be held Sunday, December 2, 2012 at the Santa Cruz Oakwood Memorial Chapel (3301 Paul Sweet Road) from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Family, friends, colleagues and children are all welcome. Memorial donations may be made to the Katz Cancer Resource Center at Dominican Hospital.