Local Charles City retired flight attendant working on memoir, in addition to YouTube cooking show

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City resident is working on a book detailing her career as a flight attendant.

Jayne Stowe, a former member of the Stony Point Players and currently a YouTube content creator hosting her own cooking show, is taking on a new creative outlet by writing a book about her time traveling the world.

“So many people have asked me about being a flight attendant that it was easier to just write it out,” said Stowe.

Stowe began her career as a flight attendant more than 20 years ago after years of trying for a career in mechanical design. Through a chance meeting at a cousin’s wedding, Stowe met a flight attendant and decided to go for it.

Starting the job six months before 9/11 and working until the COVID-19 pandemic, she has seen the world go through major swings during her time in the air. Now that she’s retired, she’s decided to chronicle her experiences in a book, “Crazy World! Crazy World!!”

Far removed from a typical 9-5 job, Stowe’s time as a flight attendant saw her taking day-long commutes to Chicago and New York to travel around the globe.

“It’s a different lifestyle,” said Stowe. “It’s hard to explain a career like that.”

From serving ice cream to celebrities to managing emergency medical issues, Stowe has accumulated a range of anecdotes both funny and serious over the last two decades. Since October, she has been working to put those stories to the page to share what life is like as a flight attendant, both in the air and on the ground between flights.

Stowe also reflects on the challenges and benefits of starting a new career at 40, which was intimidating at first but became something she came to love as she made a second family among her fellow globe-trotting coworkers.

Grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stowe decided to take an early retirement to take care of her mother. Now she spends her days closer to home, demonstrating family recipes on her YouTube channel, “Grma Jayne’s World,” and working as a substitute teacher. She’s also looking at getting back into producing local variety shows in the future.

In the meantime, Stowe is working on finishing up “Crazy World! Crazy World!!” and hopes to see it published sometime next year.