Jayne Harper Plank

On Thursday, February 23, 2023, Jayne H. Plank of Kensington MD. Beloved wife of the late William H. Plank, Sr.; mother of William Holt Plank, Stuart M. Plank (Laura), John Scott Plank, Colin Harper Plank ( Ronit) and Kevin Audette Plank (Desiree  “D.J.”) Grandmother of Jack, Casey, Eve, Jesse, Campbell, Talya, Aitan, James and Katherine, Sister of Peggy Defranceaux and Donna Miller. 
Jayne Plank, a seventh generation Washingtonian, spent her career in public service in local and federal government.

She was elected to the Kensington, Maryland Town Council in 1967 and served as a Councilwoman until 1974, when she was elected to the first of her four terms as Mayor of Kensington. She was the first woman elected as Mayor, as well as the first woman elected President of the Maryland Municipal League and the first woman to serve as the State of Maryland's representative to the National League of Cities.

In honor of her civic service for the town, the renovated Kensington Cabin, originally built in 1934, was renamed the Mayor Jayne H. Plank Kensington Cabin in 2018.

In 1982, Jayne was appointed Director of Intergovernmental Affairs of the U.S. Department of State by President Reagan, a position she held until 1987. As Director, Jayne's mission was to create a liaison office to work with governors, mayors, county officials and state legislators relative to the administration's policies.

In 1983, Jayne was appointed to the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission, charged with planning the events and programs to be held in 1992 for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus' bringing together the New World and Europe.

In 1984, she accompanied U.S. delegation to Puerto Rico in honor of the visit of Pope John Paul II.

In 2016, Jayne was recognized by Sister Cities International with their annual Diplomatic Leadership Award, honoring Jayne's career and commitment to building and maintaining international relationships.

Jayne is active in historic preservation, philanthropic and civic organizations. She was appointed to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority in August 2005 by Governor Ehrlich, and formerly served on the Board of Trustees of Tudor House in Georgetown and the Maryland Historical Society.

She is a member of the Patriot Point, LLC Campaign Committee, works with the Yellow Ribbon Foundation to sponsor the annual Caregiver's Luncheon, is active with the Women's Leadership Group of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Citizen's Association of Georgetown.

Jayne is a graduate of George Washington University, and in 2017 was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, an award created in 1937 to recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves through notable achievements in their professional and personal lives.

Visitation will be at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on Monday, February 27, 2023 from 1:30 pm until 3:00 pm with Mass of Christian Burial at 3:00 pm.  Private interment at Holy Rood Cemetery in Georgetown at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Holy Redeemer Athletic Program.  https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=7123950e-e90f-4f99-8749-5a06705a9722 or Holy Trinity School, https://htsdc.org/support-hts/

Livestream of funeral Mass available at https://youtube.com/live/PX0g-wNrlj0?feature=share