Obituary
Jane Lambert Kolinski passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 4, 2023, after a long battle with breast cancer. She was born in Miami, Florida, on October 14, 1948, to Jack Lambert and Laura Mae (Bishop) Lambert. Jane grew up in Miami with her sisters Claire Gore and Helen Conrad where she enjoyed school and air boating with her family. She graduated from Miami Coral Park Senior High School in 1966 and held various jobs until becoming an outside sales representative for Kraft Foods, a position in which she thrived for thirty years, winning numerous contests and trips to Las Vegas, Hawaii and elsewhere. She was truly the “Mac & Cheese” queen of Dade and Monroe Counties, serving all the Winn-Dixie supermarkets from Miami to Key West.
Jane was a championship water skier and an excellent snow skier. She operated her own Ski Nautique franchise and the water skiing concession at the Miami Airport Hilton for many years. She participated in water ski shows at Cypress Gardens and was a longtime member of the Miami Waterskiing Club.
She met Jack Kolinski at a “sock hop” for old people in Fort Lauderdale on June 12, 1999, and couldn’t get rid of him so she said “Yes!” They were married on March 15, 2003, at The Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne. Jane retired from Kraft Foods in early 2005 and upon Jack’s retirement in late 2006, they moved to The Villages, Florida, in February, 2007, and lived “happily ever after” there, along with many wonderful vacations to the western United States, Europe and several cruises. Jane was an avid Mah Jong player and planned not just other activities but doctor’s appointments around her “sacred” Wednesday weekly game.
Jane is survived by her loving husband, her sisters; her nephew Steven Mesa (Wife Lizzie); niece Gina Lancet (Husband John); nephew Justin Conrad; and niece Tiffany Wilson (Husband Shawn) as well as six great nieces and nephews. Sister Claire’s husband George Odom requires special mention because he was not only a loving brother-in-law but the “Honey do”-handyman her husband Jack lacked the necessary skills and patience to perform. (Jack does not dispute but, in fact, applauds George’s essential contribution to his successful marriage.)
Jane’s initial diagnosis of breast cancer at the end of 2015 was met with the courage and refusal to be a victim that characterized Jane’s entire life. After successful chemo pronounced her “cancer free” in late 2016, the cancer re-occurred in 2019, and had spread to other areas. She refused to be sidelined and Jack and Jane took their final vacation to Costa Rica in September, 2022, less than six months before her death. She will be sorely missed by family, friends and neighbors.
In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to your favorite cancer charity or Cornerstone Hospice.
