Mrs. Jane Bell Gasque Portlock was born on February 15, 1925 in Andrews, South Carolina to the late Nathan and Mary Trapper Gasque. She and her twin brother were the youngest of twelve children. Unfortunately, she lost both parents early on, and at the age of five, went to live with her older sister Roady in Durham, North Carolina who raised her as her own.

She completed her education at Hillside High School in Durham and soon after, left to live in New York City, where she took a job in a Manhattan office building as an elevator operator. In 1944, she met a fellow operator who was just discharged from the Army, Walter Crisp, and after a “whirlwind romance” they married three months later. Over the next few years they also lived in Greenfield, MA, and Pittsfield, MA where she was a domestic worker and a cook. They finally settled in Troy, NY. Four children were the result of that marriage.

Later divorcing, she met and was married to Louis Portlock in 1965 until his death in 1982. She worked at General Electric Company in Schenectady, NY as a Piece Worker for ten years before before deciding to leave the cold northern winters for the warm weather of Durham, North Carolina. Since she was an excellent cook, she took a job cooking for the students and teachers at the Agape Corners Boarding School on Holloway Street until her retirement in 2013.
She also decided shortly after arriving in Durham, to make Union Baptist Church her Church home and was active in the Senior Missionary Circle, and remained a loyal member up until her death.

In 2016, due to her health, she moved to Eno Pointe Assistant Living Center, where everyone quickly learned what most who know her, already knew...she often expressed her feelings and spoke her mind! Her favorite days of the week there were Eno Pointe’s Bingo days (where she frequently won) and Sundays where she eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Union church van to take her to Sunday services.

Loved ones who cleared the path for Jane’s transition from this life are her parents; eleven siblings; two husbands; twin sons, Paul and David Crisp; and daughter Theresa Crisp.

Loved ones that will miss her are, daughter Karen Crisp McGough (John) of Mooresville, NC; four grandchildren, Adrian Crisp (Krista) of Schenectady. NY; Tiffany Crisp, of Albany, NY; Jon McGough, and Derek McGough (Amanda), both of Philadelphia,PA; nine great-grandchildren, Jamari, Jason, Ishari, Bella, Jadin, Jayden, Jackson, Maya and Olivia; a niece, Mary Pittman Dempson of Durham, NC, a nephew Alvin Getson of Troy, NY; several great nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends.

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