MEREDITH-----Jane Kathryn Ringer Gregoire, 72, passed away in Concord, New Hampshire, on Friday, June 14, 2019, after a pedestrian traffic accident in Meredith, NH, where she lived with her husband, Jim Gregoire.
Jane was born in Laconia, NH on April 10, 1947, to parents James and Alene (Thomas) Ringer. She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, NH, and attended Boston Children’s Hospital School of Nursing. She worked for 30 years at The Hartford Insurance Company in Hartford, CT.
Jane married early and often. She wedded Robert “Bob” Drake, and together they welcomed daughter Marcia. Her second marriage of 17 years, to William “Bill” McKechnie, ended with his death. After Bill’s death, she married Gerry Raulinaitis, who had also lost his spouse to cancer. Jane finally landed Jim, her high school sweetheart, later in life in 2005. After living several years in New Jersey, they ultimately settled in Meredith in late 2011.
Jane was deeply involved in her church and her community wherever she lived, continually giving back to religious organizations and others that helped people in need. She volunteered with the Red Cross, John Lyman Elementary School, Middlefield, CT; St. Ann’s Soup Kitchen, Newark, NJ; Friends of the Meredith Library; Once Read Books; and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, including as altar server, lector, church office volunteer, and at the annual craft fair. Additionally, she was in charge of counting and depositing church collections and the Friendly Kitchen Ministry at the Laconia Salvation Army.
Jane was an avid traveler, always up for seeing the world. She was a dedicated companion on Jim’s long-distance hikes, providing dutiful transportation services, while maintaining a detailed hiking blog of Jim’s adventures for all to vicariously read. Jane was also a voracious reader, whose tastes widely included classic literature, historical thrillers, ethical and moral fiction - yet she could also appreciate a good Danielle Steele novel on the beach. She loved to laugh, play games, attend theater, eat lobster rolls, and get down on the floor to play with her grandchildren.
Jane is preceded in death by her parents. In addition to her husband, Jim Gregoire, Jane is survived by her daughter, Marcia Passavant, of Middletown, CT, and her grandson, Mason Passavant, along with Marcia's husband, Richard Hemsley, and their children, Andrea Schneider and her husband, Thomas and Jack Hemsley. She is also survived by her siblings James Ringer and his wife, Judy, Nina Ringer and her husband, Richard Scott and Peter Ringer and his wife, Barbara. In addition, she will be missed by her stepdaughter, Nicole Chang and her husband, David of Brookline, MA, and stepson, James Gregoire and his wife, Jennifer of Culver City, CA. She is survived by an additional five grandchildren: Cosette Chang, Eloise Chang, Addison Gregoire, Tristan Chang, and Weston Gregoire. Jane will be missed by a wide circle of friends who were family to her, and with whom she remained close throughout her life.
Calling hours will be held for Jane’s friends and family from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., on Monday, June 24, 2019, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 300 NH Route 25, Meredith, NH.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., also at the church. A luncheon will follow in the Church Hall immediately after the Mass.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorial donations be made to her favorite nonprofit organizations: Meredith Library Fund, PO Box 601, Meredith, NH 03253; School Sisters of Notre Dame, Development Office, 345 Belden Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897-3898; or Franciscan Charities, 55 Union Place, Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.