OBITUARY Jane Redmond February 22, 1946 – November 27, 2018 Jane G. Redmond, 72 Waterville – Mrs. Jane “Janie” Gray Redmond passed peacefully in her sleep on Monday, November 27, 2018 at her home in Waterville, Maine after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease and under the loving care of her husband of 48 years, Peter Redmond. Jane was born in 1946 in Newport, Rhode Island, attended Wheaton College, and later received a Master’s in Education at the University of Maine. She worked as a reporter for the McGraw Hill News Bureau in Washington, DC from 1969-1973, where she was proud to be among the first four women allowed to drink a beer at the National Press Club Bar, much to the dismay of the bartender.
She later worked as an elementary school guidance counselor and a principal from 1975-2010 in SAD 49 (Albion, Benton, Clinton, and Fairfield), where she tirelessly advocated for the children of Central Maine. Jane met her future husband just a week before he left for Vietnam in 1969. They wrote letters to one another during that year, and were married in Alexandria, VA shortly after his safe return in 1970.
In 1973, they moved to Smithfield, ME, where their two sons were born. Jane was a strong, spunky, and opinionated woman who was never idle, nor at a loss for words. She often said how lucky she was to live such a rich and full life and that she was grateful for every day of it.
She enjoyed flower gardening (with a particular fondness for daylilies), traveling with her husband, reading, collecting antique tools, and listening to the music of Bob Dylan and the Beatles, whose first U.S. concert she attended in 1964. Jane was predeceased by her parents, Mary and Jack Gray, and her beautiful life will forever be remembered in the lives of her husband, Peter Redmond of Waterville, ME; children, Tim Redmond of Wakefield, MA, and Chris Redmond of China, ME; brothers, Jeff Gray of Alexandria, VA, and John Gray; daughter-in-law’s, Lena Popova of Wakefield, MA, and Laurie Grassi Redmond of China, ME; and her beloved grandchildren, Maya Jane Redmond of Wakefield, MA, and Elsa and Adele Redmond of China, ME; as well as many close friends whose company she counted as one of her greatest blessings. Her family wishes to thank Waterville Hospice for their compassionate care, as well as all the friends and neighbors who supported her and her family during her final years.
No formal funeral will be held, but a celebration of life is planned in the Spring of 2019. Please visit www. veilleuxfuneralhome.com to share condolences, memories and tributes with Jane’s family.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Maine General Hospice – Waterville, 10 Water Street, Ste. 307, Waterville, ME, 04901.
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