Jane Krumrine, 82, was a retired executive and philanthropist who threw legendary parties
She was a blue-blooded banker’s daughter who made her career in the tough corporate world of Manhattan. But she cherished Philadelphia, its museums and orchestra, its cheesesteaks and Phillies.
- Jane Krumrine
- 82 years old
- Lived in Merion
- She worked in communications for an insurance brokerage firm
Jane Krumrine was known for throwing fabulous parties at her Main Line home, especially on Christmas Eve, Easter, and the Fourth of July. But they weren’t pompous affairs. Sometimes the guests wore funny hats.
She was a blue-blood banker’s daughter who made her career in the tough corporate world of Manhattan. But she cherished Philadelphia, its museums and orchestra, its cheesesteaks and Phillies.
“She loved Philadelphia, and she delighted in showing it to her friends,” said Kerry Zobor, a longtime friend.
People from all over the world flocked to her home in Merion. “It was like a little United Nations,” Zobor said. "There might be an exchange student from England … or friends she’d met on a trip to Italy, or the parents of someone she knew, visiting from Salzburg.”
Ms. Krumrine, 82, retired vice president of communications for Johnson & Higgins, once one of the largest insurance brokerages in the world, died Friday, April 17, of COVID-19 at Dunwoody Village in Newtown Square.
She moved to the retirement community home in 2018 after her lifelong friend Susy Brandt told her she planned to live there. The two had been chums since they were toddlers living a few houses apart in Merion.
“She had a wonderful sense of humor and a great loving soul,” Brandt said. "She was the ultimate hostess.”
She loved to travel, especially to Italy. And in retirement, the two visited Scotland, London, Paris, Italy, Mexico, Egypt, East Africa, Israel, and New Zealand.
Ms. Krumrine was the only child of Jane Gilfillan and Charles Sidney Krumrine. She was a graduate of the Baldwin School and the University of Pennsylvania, and earned an MBA from Harvard/Radcliffe.
She began her career in public relations at Methodist and Hahnemann hospitals before moving to Johnson & Higgins. She retired in 1996.
Known for her philanthropy, she was a member of the Junior League and was among the first women to join the Union League.
At Overbrook Presbyterian Church, a former pastor said, she was “a Main Line Republican who found her home in a multicultural, urban church full of Democrats.”
Ms. Krumrine is survived by several cousins and many friends. Burial will be private.
— Valerie Russ, vruss@inquirer.com