She graduated from Sayville High School in 1939 at the age of 17. By 1946 at the age of 24, she reached the pinnacle of her professional success. She played Carnegie Hall, the chamber music hall.
Jane Pagels was born in 1922. She and her family first lived on Division Ave. in West Sayville. Then the family moved to Garfield Ave. in Sayville, where Jane spent her early life.
The Pagels family arrived in America in 1872. Jane’s grandfather, John Pagels immigrated from Germany. John and Wilhelmina were married in Sayville in 1876, they had ten children. One child was Jane’s Dad, Frank. Frank was a hardworking man and married Ethel O’Malley in 1918. They had 4 children, one was M. Jane Pagels. Jane and her family lived happily in Sayville. Frank having started a successful coal delivery business (at the time of coal furnaces) in Sayville.
My grandfather’s brother Robert and Mathew Peach who lived on Lincoln Ave. got their coal from Pagels Coal Company.
Jane through her high school years was always involved in just about everything musical. She learned the piano and violin at an early age. Jane played in the school band and orchestra. She took part in many school musical plays and productions. At the same time, her future husband and his brother, (Grover & A. Cutler Silliman) also took part in most musical programs. I guess a budding romance ensued, three years later Grover and Jane married.
Jane’s pursuit of a musical career continued after high school, she attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. Her major interest became the piano. She devoted herself to this instrument. After graduating, Jane returned home and began professional training with Claude Gonvierre a noted musician who took Jane on as a protégé at the Idle hour Artist Colony.
These years from 1939 to 1947 were years of great happiness, tremendous success, hard work, study, joy, and profound sadness.
Those six years saw Jane attend a prestigious musical school, married her true love, began her professional concert career, she gave birth to her first child Cynthia in 1944.
Then she saw her only brother Joseph Pagels, 24, killed at the Battle of the Bulge and her cousin Florence Evans also killed during the last days of World War II. Then her beloved father passed away just 8 months later, at 56.
Six years in a life – tremendous highs and terrible lows. Truly these years drove Jane to achieve brilliant success as a concert pianist. Her husband, Grover, graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1942. He began a successful business career. The couple worked together to balance Jane’s professional and home life. No minor accomplishment in the 1940s when women seemed to hold a certain place in society.
With Grover’s support and encouragement, Jane continued her professional career continuing training from Gonvierre. Jane performed many concerts for fund-raising events in the community from the Cancer Society, local hospitals, VFW to name a few.
All this training and practice lead to an engagement in New York City at Carnage Chamber Hall in 1947. She played nine Intricate classical pieces that evening and was greeted by tremendous success, receiving three standing ovations.
The years after until around 1955, Jane was managed by Willard Mathews a concert manager, and played many concerts around the country and in the community. In 1949 she gave birth to her second child, Grover III (Guy). Then a few years later a third son, Dana.
I’m sure the challenges of raising three children became more and more difficult in maintaining her career. But she did, and the family thrived. Grover, her husband, was very involved in local yachting and played a big role in the Wet Pants Organization in Sayville. The family seemed to have it all.
One day in the middle of July in 1956. Grover and his family were heading out on the island to a Wet Pants event. Grover was pulling a sailboat behind his station wagon. Jane was in another car following behind. A terrible accident occurred, and Grover was mortally injured.
Jane was now alone with three young children. Her professional career over. She did what she always had she regrouped and continued. Through the next years of Jane’s life, she again had mostly happy times, but no life is immune to heartaches.
Jane would meet and married Robert “Robin” Folsom. The family all moved to the San Mateo area in California. Jane and Robin shared many of the same interests – music, travel, and community involvement. Jane and her children had a happy life with their new Dad.
But like most stories in life, there are twists and turns. Sadly, after moving to Sarasota, Florida, Robert passed away 1978.
Jane again remarried, and she and her new husband remained in the Sarasota area. They were deeply devoted to the arts in Sarasota. They both became involved in the Sarasota Opera community.
Jane passed in 2015 at 93.
Her story of dedication, love, talent, family, and grit can never be duplicated.
She was truly an amazing force to behold.
Jane (Pagels) Silliman Folsom Boggs
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