Salem…

Jane Blanchard Harrison, 69

Retired teacher, devoted grandmother of five

SALEM - Jane Blanchard Harrison, 69, of Salem, died Thursday, April 3 at Shaugnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital in Salem, following a courageous battle with cancer.

Born in Lynn on Oct. 21, 1938, she was the daughter of Philip and Edith (Blaney) Blanchard. She grew up in Marblehead and attended the local schools, graduating as a member of the Marblehead High School Class of 1956. She maintained lifelong friendships with many of her classmates, with whom she talked to on a regular basis even as she struggled with her illness.

She graduated from Simmons College in 1960, and later earned a Master's degree in reading education from Boston University. She began her career as a teacher in 1964 in Attleboro, and schools in Greenburgh and Mt. Kisco, N.Y., and later as a Special Education teacher in the Salem, Hamilton-Wenham, and the Beverly public schools, finally retiring in 1999.

As a teacher, she always strived to find the best in her students. Throughout her life, she was frequently contacted or stopped on the street by former students, and loved to hear from them and would talk with them at length about how they were doing. She had a sharp wit and a great sense of humor, and could tell a great story, of which she had many.
In additon to teaching, she was a good cook, but humble about it. She loved to read novels and, in her retirement, discovered her skills in quilting. She made many quilts, and had shown her work at several craft shows in the Parsonsfield, Maine area, where she and her husband own a weekend home, and had also given many to family members and friends. She was a dedicated member of the Tabernacle Church in Salem, and had served on the church's Board of Trustees, and the Tabernacle Church's Women's Association.

She is survived by her husband, Ronald, with whom she had shared 44 years of marriage; a daughter, Whitney Goodhue and her husband Mark, of Reading; a son, Bradford, of Marblehead; five grandchildren: Hannah, Emily and John Goodhue of Reading, and Grace and Jonah Harrison of Salem and Marblehead.

Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. in the Tabernacle Church, 50 Washington St., Salem, MA. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be Monday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. in the Murphy Funeral Home, 85 Federal St., (cor of North St) Salem. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114. For online guest book or additional information please visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com or call 978 744 0497.