Dec. 16, 1938 – July 14, 2020
Intrepid, optimistic and with a profound gift for friendship, Jane “Jenny” Goodwin Duel lived life to its fullest. She died peacefully at Cooperstown Center Nursing and Rehab on July 14, 2020.
Born in Baltimore, to Dr. Mary Stewart Hooke Goodwin and Dr. Thomas Campbell Goodwin, on December 16, 1938, Jenny grew up in Cooperstown, where her parents moved in the early 1940s to work at Bassett Hospital.
Jenny graduated from the Emma Willard School, studied at Wellesley College, eventually graduating from Columbia University. Her talents and interests took her to teach English near Mexico City, edit at Moderator Magazine in Philadelphia and work in television production on the Merv Griffin Show in New York.
A superb athlete, Jenny was an avid tennis player and skier. During the time that she was married to Arthur Duel, ski trips brought her to Sugarbush in Warren, where she started a new chapter of her life in the 1970s.
Her hospitable nature and culinary expertise led her to innkeeping – first running her breakfast restaurant Reveille at Sgt. Pepper’s Lodge and then as a partner in and manager of the Pitcher Inn.
Jenny made the Pitcher Inn into a hub of local life. The door was always open, the coffee pot always on and loyal pets always eager to greet. The dining room hosted rural resource meetings, National Register of Historic Places nominations and countless other local civic functions. Thespians performed Shakespeare in the backyard, a brass band played in the front yard in Warren’s bicentennial celebration and many memorable fêtes filled the rooms. With “eggs reveille,” boatloads of hollandaise on her eggs benedict, and blueberry-laden pancakes, she cooked arguably the best breakfast in Vermont.
Through these years, Jenny served on the Warren Planning Commission, and, as a Warren justice of the peace, loved officiating at weddings.
After the Pitcher Inn burned in a devastating fire, her career in the Mad River Valley included hosting a radio program on WDEV and work with the chamber of commerce.
Jenny returned to Cooperstown in the late 1990s when offered an opportunity at New York State Historical Association/Fenimore Art Museum and Farmers’ Museum. Her love of animals — she always had a least one devoted dog and several cats of unique temperament — led her to work in development at the Susquehanna SPCA, before joining Redpoint Builders.
Jenny cherished time with her two brothers, Thomas Campbell Goodwin (Tommy) and Daniel Hennessy Goodwin. Both were Washington, DC, based for many years and she adored her visits there.
From childhood through the end of her life, Jenny had a gift for building friendships, always bringing with her a great sense of humor, unshakable political views and sincere interest in the details as well as momentous events of her friends’ lives. She loved opera, flowers and her garden and travel, particularly enjoying trips to Greece, Turkey and Cuba.
Jenny is survived by her sister-in-law Andrea Meditch and niece Dr. Alexandra M. Goodwin and many, many friends. She is predeceased by her brothers and sister-in-law Dorothy L. Jackson.
A private memorial will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers and in honor of her love of animals, donations to Susquehanna SPCA are welcome.
