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Jane Turnbull inspired those who knew her
Los Altos resident remembered for her work with League of Women Voters

by Casey Weiss

Friends and family members said those meeting Jane Turnbull for the first time didn't have to wait long before being recruited to join the League of Women Voters, an organization to which she dedicated countless hours even while undergoing chemotherapy.

Turnbull, 76, died Oct. 18, a year after being diagnosed with lung cancer. As the news spread, family, friends and fellow members of the League's Los Altos-Mountain View chapter remembered the Los Altos resident with words such as "kind," "passionate" and "remarkable."

"Jane was a big deal in League of Women Voters," said Pat Frischmann, a fellow League member who played tennis with Turnbull. "She was an incredible, persuasive person."

Born in Larchmont, N.Y., Turnbull moved to California in 1986 to work for PG&E. Her position with the utility eventually brought Turnbull to Los Altos in 1993, and four years later she started her own consulting company, Peninsula Energy Partners, "to develop and commercialize renewable energy systems," according to an obituary prepared by her family.

Turnbull's work with renewable energy gained her local, statewide and international recognition. She was an energy consultant for the California League of Women Voters and took on local leadership roles, including a term as president of the Los Altos-Mountain View chapter.

Turnbull continued to play tennis even while undergoing chemotherapy, and also served as a League vice president. For her, these things "represented normalcy," Frischmann said.

Fellow volunteers said Turnbull's determination and tact made her especially successful at her job as vice president.

"No matter how strongly she felt, she was always able to talk in measured ways in order to bring people along," said Sue Graham, the League's current president.

Turnbull saw the organization as an important way of giving back to the community, friends say, and because of this she was always bringing in new members. This devotion made her a role model for the younger women involved in the community, said Ellen Wheeler, a League member and local district board trustee.

"We would say, 'When I grow up I want to be like Jane Turnbull,'" Wheeler said.

Turnbull received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Wellesley College and a master's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is survived by her husband Stan of Los Altos, and son Geoffrey, a member of the Seattle Symphony.

A memorial service will be held at Foothills Congregational Church, 461 Orange Ave. in Los Altos, on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Memorial gifts are suggested for: Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto; Pro Mujer, an international network helping the poorest women in Latin America; and the League of Women Voters of Los Altos and Mountain View.

E-mail Casey Weiss at cweiss@mv-voice.com