Jane E. McGuire (née Lanigan), age 89, a resident of Newtown for 45 years, died September 16, 2019, after a short illness. Jane was the devoted wife of her husband of 56 years, Bob. Jane was the loving mother of her daughter, Ellen, and sons, Robert and John.

She was predeceased by her husband, Bob, and her eldest son, Steve.

Jane loved and welcomed her daughter-in-law, Vanessa, and was thrilled to become a late-in-life grandmother to Astrid, Oliver, and Evelyn, who always brought her great happiness.

Jane was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on August 6, 1930, to John and Katherine Lanigan. Jane met her future husband on the steps of St Rose of Lima Church in Brooklyn on an Easter Sunday. Their first date was that afternoon. They went for a walk, and he held her hand! It was the beginning of a lifelong romance. They married in November 1952 and had three children within four years. They raised their family in Harrington Park, N.J.

Jane was a fun and happy stay-at-home mom who read poetry to her kids every day at lunch, sang songs she made up, and told wonderful stories of about her long-lost son, Myron, who lived in a tree in Paris, France. At bathing time, Jane told her children that they better not act up in the tub or they too would go down the drain and end up in Paris! Just as Jane and Bob were approaching an empty nest, at the age of 42, Jane gave birth to a fourth child, John… and the fun continued. The family moved to Newtown in 1974, where John was raised. In addition to having a great time raising her youngest, Jane loved decorating, fashion, gardening, reading, and politics — but her first love was time spent with her husband.

A Funeral Service will be held Friday, September 20, 2019, at noon, in the Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown. Interment will follow at Washington Green Cemetery, Washington, Conn. Friends may call at the Honan Funeral Home on Friday morning, from 10:30 am to noon.

The family wishes to thank Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, particularly Cynthia Roy. A special thank you to Gerard Lamoureux, who was Jane’s aide, companion, surrogate son, and hilarious comic foil; Debbie; Skip; Cora; and the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association for their loving attention to our mom over the last decade.

Memorial contributions may be made to Regional Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Connecticut, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury CT 06810; regionalhospicect.org.