Jane Elizabeth Towle

Jane Elizabeth Towle

November 18, 1950 - August 3, 2024

Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister Jane Towle passed away on August 3, 2024 after a long courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Jane was born on November 18, 1950 in Portland, Oregon. She was the second child of Leo and LaVonne McNulty. She attended All Saints Grade School and as a child took ballet classes for many years under the direction of Bertelle Barrett. Jane graduated with honors from Marycrest High School in 1969. While at Marycrest, she was involved in many activities and was a member of the Allegras choir. Jane had a passion for music specifically, guitar, piano, and singing. She was also a member of a group called the Bright Side and they became quite the popular sensation with the production and release of an album. Jane attended Gonzaga University, graduating with a degree in Speech and Hearing in 1973.

Jane met her husband Terry Towle soon after graduation at a local dive named Goofy’s Tavern. They enjoyed good beer and shooting pool with friends. Soon their friendship blossomed and they were married on April 12, 1975. Two years later, their son Joe was born followed by Ben two years later. They settled into their home on Pine Street in the Laurelhurst neighborhood in 1983 where they welcomed Dan and Mike into the family. Their home was just a block and a half away from where Jane grew up. Jane was an incredible mother. She was always present for her boys, never missing a sporting or school event. She was so incredible, in fact, she was able to squeeze all four of her boys into her 2 door 1976 Red Toyota Celica for all of these events including the Friday grocery shopping at Safeway where Terry worked.

During her life, Jane worked several jobs. She babysat during her teen years for 25 cents a day, worked the switchboards at Providence Hospital, and sewed bed sheets for local hospital maternity wards. However, what Jane will be remembered for most is being an amazing mother and not just to her own four boys. Jane worked at Central Catholic as the attendance secretary for nearly 27 years and was affectionately known as mom to hundreds of students. Her office door was always open to those needing a hug, a place to rest, or just some chocolate from her never ending supply of candy. She loved her Central Catholic Rams. On any given evening, you could find her cheering on Central’s sports teams or selling tickets to their theater productions. Jane also orchestrated the annual Central Catholic Christmas bazaar. Staff members always took part and money earned went to a local charity. This was something she always looked forward to taking part in each year. Another service project she loved while at Central Catholic was creating prom night decorations for medically fragile teens living at Providence Hospital.

There is no way to summarize all the things that we will miss about Jane. She was a person of strong character and an incredible example of humility and kindness. She had a subtle sense of humor and would show her competitive spirit at times. She also thought of others first without asking for anything in return. She exemplified what it means to have a heart of service.

Jane loved to make her famous potato salad and Chex mix for every holiday gathering. She had an uncanny knack for couponing, enjoyed Broadway musicals, making kettle corn, and partaking in the latest book club read. A Saturday morning shopping trip to the mall, followed by a bacon cheeseburger and onion ring lunch was always on the calendar. She would knit beautiful blankets and was often surrounded by mountains of yarn skeins. Jane loved her Cockatiel named Bo and learned to love the unintentional adoption of the neighbor’s cat. It brought her joy to reunite with several dear members from her high school choir the Allegras, and perform with them at local care homes and at the Grotto during the Christmas season. She looked forward to spending time at the family beach house near Pacific City and trips to Sunriver with her ”. Jane also loved the Holiday Season. Decorating for Christmas and celebrating with her family were very special moments for her.

With the support of her husband and family, she tried hard to enjoy her life as much as she could as her Parkinsons grew worse. She rarely complained and faced her challenges with a gentleness on her face. Although she feared her future while battling this disease, she trusted her family and friends to care for her and had immense faith in God’s ultimate plan for her. She took great comfort in knowing how much she was loved. When Jane was a young child, she vividly told a story of seeing Jesus at the foot of her bed. She gave a true account of this precious moment. It gives us great peace to think that on the evening of August 3rd, Jesus was once again at the foot of her bed, preparing to take her home.

Jane was preceded in death by her parents Leo and LaVonne McNulty, her brother Tim McNulty, sister Anne Brumfield and nephew Adam Brumfield. She is survived by her husband Terry, sons Joe (Lisa), Ben (Katie), Dan (Aleisha) and Mike (Nicole), sister Mary Kendall (Taylor), sister-in-law Nancy Towle, brother-in-law Rob Towle (Brian), grandchildren Julia (Wyatt), Reese, Hudson, Jackson, Lucas, Cameron, and Abigail and numerous nieces and nephews.

 A memorial Mass for Jane will be held on September 7, 2024, at 10:00 AM at Central Catholic High School. All who knew and loved her are welcome to attend as we celebrate her life.