Jane H. Pejsa

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Pejsa, Jane H. Jane H. Pejsa died at age 89 on 1 April 2019 in Fairfax, VA. Jane Elizabeth Hauser was born 12 August 1929 in Minneapolis to Irene M. Hauser & Walter U. Hauser. She graduated from West High School in 1947 and as class valedictorian and summa cum laude in 1951 from Carleton College, where she majored in math and minored in German. Jane first worked at Northwestern Bell, Univac, and General Mills as a computer programmer. In 1950 Jane met Franz J.F. Gayl, an architecture student from Germany. After hand- building their first house in Minneapolis, they married in 1952 and had two children, Ilse and Franz. The family was joined by Franz's mother from Berlin and they spoke German at home. The Gayls bought an island on Lake Minnetonka where they built a house and lived much of the time year around. Jane and Franz divorced in 1968. After working as an editor at Dillon Press, Jane worked as a system analyst at Honeywell, on software for the Space Shuttle and on energy-efficiency for buildings, where she met and later married Arthur J. Pejsa, an aerospace physicist. Art was a skilled bridge player and physics-based sharpshooter. Jane played bridge with him and supported his ballistics software application for many years. Starting around 1985 Jane authored several books, starting with The Molineux Affair, a true crime story, and including biographies of Minneapolis' pioneer female librarian Gratia Countryman, Ojibwe Native American and human rights activist Emily Peake, Prussian matriarch Maria von Kleist whose family conspired against Hitler, and Hollywood restaurateur & con-man Michael Romanoff who claimed to be son of the last Russian czar. Jane and Art lived for two years in Art's hometown of Stevens Point, WI, where Jane was elected to the Portage County Board of Supervisors. The Pejsas also made a substantial bequest to the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point to support the Arthur J Pejsa Observatory and student scholarships. Jane was a member of the Minneapolis Woman's Club and a lifelong member of Plymouth Congregational Church. Some additional achievements include her patents for an energy submetering system, receiving the Carleton College Distinguished Achievement award, being awarded a Bush Foundation Artist's Fellowship, serving as the Woman's Club Philanthropy Chair, and being a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After Art's death in 2014, Jane moved to join son Franz and his wife Conchita in northern Virginia. As Jane's mobility deteriorated due to Parkinson's Disease, she moved to a nearby full care group home operated by a family friend, Felisa Zabala. Jane took her final breath in her bed at home on 1 April 2019 surrounded by family. Jane was preceded in death by her former husband Franz Gayl and husband Arthur Pejsa. She is survived by her sister Susan Hauser Bishop, daughter Ilse Gayl (James Logan), son Franz Gayl (Conchita), granddaughter Gabriella Malloy (Robert), grandson Joseph Gayl, and great-granddaughter Nala Jane Malloy, stepson James Pejsa (Janice), stepdaughter Anita Johnston, stepson Arthur "Jack" Pejsa, step-granddaughter Laura Pejsa, step-grandson Matthew Pejsa and five step-great-grandchildren. There will be a celebration of life for Jane at the Minneapolis Woman's Club on Saturday, 25 May 2019, and another in Stevens Point, where her husband Art is buried. Please contact the family for details at jhpejsa-celebration@yahoo.com or call (303)618-5516. In lieu of sending flowers, please consider making a donation in Jane H. Pejsa's name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Published on April 21, 2019