Rebecca Jane Derbenwick, 78, of Bethlehem, passed away at St. Luke's Hospice House on February 10, 2024, surrounded in love by her three children and sister Gail. A beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to many, she had been married to the late Stephen Derbenwick for 47 years before his passing in 2016.

Born in Elgin, Illinois, Jane was the daughter of Wilbur Palmer and Irene (Hilbert) Lilly. Jane grew up in Marengo, Illinois, where she graduated as valedictorian from Marengo Community High School. She subsequently earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree from Cornell University, both in Nutritional Sciences.

Jane and her husband Steve met at Cornell and married in 1968 in Illinois. They moved to the Lehigh Valley for his job as an Assistant Professor of Physics at Moravian College and eventually settled in Bethlehem. For more than 25 years, Jane worked as an Academic Coordinator at Lehigh University, primarily in the Department of Chemistry. During her time at Lehigh, she earned an M.Ed. degree in Community Counseling from Lehigh's School of Education and worked part-time as a counselor for several years, along with her duties at Lehigh.

Before and after her retirement in 2015, Jane was a highly active volunteer for various organizations, including First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem (and later at Grace Church Bethlehem), Kirkland Village, Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and many others. Jane served as a greeter in all these places and often encouraged others to attend church with her.

At Grace Church, Jane co-led five 13-week Grief Share sessions, helping many people handle the loss of loved ones. At Kirkland Village, she served as a floor leader and a peer mentor and participated in too many committees and activities to list. Some of her other interests included attending classical music concerts, reading mysteries, collecting owl figurines, baking, and petting as many dogs as possible.

Jane is survived by sister Susan Wimer of Waleska, Georgia; brother John (Kathy) Palmer of Cicero, Indiana; sister Gail (Bret) Ross of Huntington Beach, California; daughter Laura (David Gleysteen) Bruno of Kalamazoo, Michigan; daughter Erica Cappellini of Allentown, Pennsylvania; son Craig (Adin Bookbinder) Derbenwick of Chicago, Illinois; and grandsons Owen Cappellini and Anthony Cappellini of Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was preceded in death by her parents, niece Erin, husband Steve, and brother Mark Palmer of Key West, Florida.

A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, at Pearson Funeral Home, 1901 Linden Street in Bethlehem.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 16, at Grace Church Bethlehem, 4301 Hecktown Road in Bethlehem. A luncheon reception will immediately follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Grace Church Bethlehem.