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Jane Frances MacRae GARRIGAN Jane Frances MacRae Garrigan, 83, died at home surrounded by family on February 21, 2015. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, she was the only child of Alice Eleanor Orr and Dr. John Donald MacRae. After being graduated from St. Genevieve of the Pines in Asheville, she earned a B.A. in International Relations from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. Later she earned an M. Ed. from the University of Cincinnati. She was an intelligent, charismatic and empathetic beauty: her college’s May Queen and House President among many other honors. She was selected for inclusion in “Who’s Who on American Campuses” and chosen to appear as a model in “Mademoiselle” magazine. She was also an accomplished equestrienne and fine dancer with an avid interest in art. Jane met her husband while living in Washington D.C., where she worked at the Central Intelligence Agency. After their wedding they spent a year in Portland, Maine, and two years in Palo Alto, California, finally settling in Cincinnati with their two oldest children in 1957. She travelled extensively in Europe and the United States, including a summer in Germany before her marriage and many trips later with her husband. Her own wide-ranging interests and abilities were a boon to her family, friends and strangers alike. She was a great mother to her six children: good-natured, patient and kind with seemingly endless reserves of energy. She saved the life of her youngest child, who was one and a half years old, by pulling her from a nearly freezing lake and administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the ambulance arrived. She did the same for a stranger’s child when he fell from a playground slide and stopped breathing. Jane had a keen interest in helping the mentally ill and their families. She started and ran “The Family Advocate”, a non-profit company to serve that purpose. She was actively involved in The Cincinnati Alliance for the Mentally Ill, The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the 648 Board and PLAN. She was a champion of the underdog, taking in stray and needy teenagers and animals; she was involved in Catholic Charities fostering unwed mothers. Jane was a founding board member of PLAN. Stacy Martz, its current executive director said of her: “She was …a force of nature. She garnered most of the startup money by virtue of her own persuasiveness, …sheer doggedness and passion. She was genuinely nice and caring. This is an unusual combination: someone really sweet but with a bulldog edge that meant things got done. (She) commanded a lot of respect in the mental health community here and was loved and admired by many.” In addition to her husband of sixty years, Terrence Dale Garrigan, she is survived by her five children and their spouses: Kimberly (Robert) MacNeille, Timothy Garrigan (Denise McDonald), Mac Garrigan (Sarah Stimson), Wim Garrigan (Martha) and Katy (Christopher) Price. She also leaves thirteen grandchildren: Lindsey, Ann, Sara, Mollie, Ben, Grace and Maggie Garrigan; Stephen and Caroline MacNeille; Isabel and Emma Price and Drake and Grace Stimson. Jane was pre-deceased by her son Douglas. Jane made the world a better place. She was an exemplary
and delightful person and will be missed. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to PLAN of Southwest Ohio (planswohio.org). A memorial service for friends and family is being held on June 6, 2015 from 1-3 pm at The Kenwood by Senior Star in Madeira. All are welcome. Professional services entrusted to Grunn Funeral Home. |