First published in the Dec. 30 print issue of the San Marino Tribune.
Jane M. Packer was a caring mother, grandmother, aunt, and warm-hearted friend to all who had the chance to meet and know her.
Jane passed away, surrounded by her loving family, on December 2, 2021, at the age of 86.
Born Jane Anne McGrath on July 27, 1935, in New Rochelle, N.Y., she was the daughter of Martin Francis and Viriginia Crennan McGrath. The family very early on moved and settled in East Windsor Hill, Conn., where she was raised along with her younger siblings Martin (Marty) and Ellen (Lyn) who both predeceased her.
At the age of 8, Jane survived one of the country’s largest fire disasters, the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944, alongside her brother Marty. She graduated from Mary A. Burnham School in 1953, and from Endicott College in 1956.
Jane started her early career working at Newsweek while living in New York, where she married James Packer, before they moved to Chicago. In the mid-1960’s her sons James (Jim) and David (Dave) were both born and then shortly thereafter the family moved to the San Marino area of California, where Jane prospered and raised her sons. For the past 15 years, Jane resided in Laguna Woods, Calif.
Throughout her life Jane was a devoted mother and grandmother, loved travel, as well as studying art and design, and cuisine; her braised short-ribs were excellent! Her creative passion led her to return to school and study interior design at UCLA, which became her career, as well as making her the go-to person on how-to spruce up any event or holiday, creating lasting memories for her family and friends. Her art endeavors were inspirational to the end and included a lifetime of schooling, which included photography, calligraphy, sketching/painting, and in her later years a deep enjoyment and appreciation for making hand-crafted jewelry.
Known as the “glue” of the immediate and extended family, Jane will be remembered for her kindness, warmth, personal strength and resilience, sense of humor, creative spirit, and the ability to make everyone feel welcome and at home.
Always proud to boast about family, Jane is survived by her two sons: James W. Packer and his wife Suzanne Packer, of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; David Packer and his wife, Veronica Packer of Sunnyvale, Calif.; and her beloved grandchildren Jonathan James Packer, and Mackenzie Packer, as well as her large extended family of Kovels and McGraths in Connecticut, the Rowlands of upstate New York; and the many friends who had the opportunity to know her.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Jane’s honor to Stoneleigh-Burnham School, 574 Bernardston Road, Greenfield, Mass. 01301
