Jane M. Matwiejczyk, 64, a resident of Tyngsboro, died unexpectedly Monday, November 5, at her home after a seven-year battle with cancer.
Born in Lowell on December 12, 1942, she was the daughter of the late Mildred I. (Jabczon) Matwiejczyk who died September 7, 2007 and the late John Matwiejczyk who died in 1974. She was educated at St. Stanislaus School, Lowell High School and Lowell State Teachers College earning her Bachelors Degree in 1964.
Teaching was her passion and her legacy. She taught first grade in the Chelmsford Public Schools for forty years prior to her retirement. A very gifted teacher, she will best be remembered for her creative units on Japan and Native American culture as well as her ability to incorporate art into every aspect of the curriculum. She exerted inordinate patience and compassion with all of her students. Jane was a strong advocate of the Bookworm Program designed to encourage children to read.
Jane was a member of the American Federation of Teachers and the Chelmsford Federation of Teachers.
In her leisure time, she enjoyed gardening and extended trips to Maine, Yellowstone National Park and Disneyworld. She was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Her life also embodied countless hours volunteering for bingo and other activities at the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity, where she was an active communicant.
She is survived by a brother Stanley J. Matthews and his wife Gay of Stockton, CA; two nephews, Keith Matthews of Dallas, TX and Dr. Kenneth Matthews and his wife Emily of Cranford, NJ. Her best friends were Elizabeth Tsioulis (her cousin) of Lowell and Paula Leavitt of Tyngsboro. She also leaves many cousins and her godson, Brian Flanagan of Andover.
Friends may call at the DRACUT FUNERAL HOME, 2159 Lakeview Avenue, DRACUT, on Sunday from 2:00 until 5:00 PM, Her funeral will be held from the funeral home on Monday at 9:00 AM, followed by her Funeral Mass to be celebrated at 10AM at the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity in Lowell. Interment in Holy Trinity Cemetery in Lowell. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to either the Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center, 295 Varnum Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854 or to the Holy Trinity Church Renovation Fund, 340 High Street, Lowell, MA 01852.