When asked to describe herself, Lion Jane Olbekson says that there is not doubt that she is “adventuresome”. Maybe that is a result of being a “true” Oregonian.
Lion Jane was born in Mt Angel, Oregon, which at the time had a population of 1,500 people. She was raised in a farming family that included 6 children; 3 boys, 3 girls with Jane being the 4th child. As a youth, Lion Jane did typical farming chores such as picking berries, moving pipe, hauling hay, and driving the family truck.
Lion Jane started college at OCE (now Western Oregon) in Monmouth, but wanted a little more “life” than she thought Monmouth had to offer so she and a friend moved to Dallas and commuted to school. She eventually graduated from Linfield College with a Liberal Arts degree emphasizing English and Anthropology. As Lion Jane puts it, she “meandered from Monmouth to Linfield”.
While living in Dallas, she met her future husband whom she married in 1975. Lion Jane worked in the banking industry in Roseburg for a while and then moved to Coos Bay where she worked as a social worker for the Department of Human Services. During this time she raised her 2 children; one boy, one girl. Her daughter, who is 25, is a UO graduate who lives in Portland. Her son, who is 27, lives in San Francisco and is a classical vocal performer. Lion Jane recently traveled to San Francisco to see her first new grandchild.
In 2000, Lion Jane started her career as a financial adviser in Coos Bay; She moved to Eugene in 2007 and now works as an independent financial adviser.
Why Eugene? Lion Jane had visited Eugene while her daughter was at UO and liked its location in the state and its size. She thought it had a lot to offer for its size yet it was small enough to avoid big city issues.
Why join Lions? When Lion Jane moved here she wanted to meet people. She visited various service groups and clubs, looking for a friendly home. A friend who’s a Lion in Coos Bay suggested that she check out the Lions which she did and immediately liked the activities, the attitude, and the people of the Eugene Downtown Lions. In her words, she “liked the feel of the Club.” Not a shy person, Lion Jane jumped right into Club activities including participating in Food Rescue Express, the Delta Ponds Project, and chairing the Annual Crab Feed.
In addition to the Lions, Lion Jane belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and the Profession Women’s Forum.
When not working, Lion Jane likes to hike, vegetable garden, and read almost anything except science fiction. She sees reading as “a way to discover the world”. She also enjoys visiting her children, antiquing, and refinishing furniture.
Looking ahead in her life, Lion Jane has several goals she would like to accomplish including: (1) being the most fabulous grandmother in the world for the most perfect grandchild in the world, (2) continuing to develop her business, (3) riding on a passenger train which she has never done, and (4) traveling especially in Europe, Croatia (based on other travelers comments), and back to Caribbean.
According to Lion Jane, she’ll try anything once---well, just about anything. How’s that for an adventuresome Lion?
