Jane B. Keaveney

Jane Brown Keaveney, 96, resident of Rumson, New Jersey, passed away peacefully in her sleep early Sunday morning, December 10, 2017, at Bayside Manor in Keansburg, New Jersey. 

Jane was a lifelong resident of Monmouth County, who grew up in Interlaken, New Jersey.  She graduated from Asbury Park High School and attended Mary Washington College.  She was predeceased by her mother, Wilhelmina (“Billy”) Rino Brown, her father, Donald A. Brown, and her brother, Richard B. Brown.

Jane was a member of Holy Cross Church and a member of their Altar Guild.  She was a long-time active member of Monmouth Beach Bath & Tennis Club, president of the Red Bank Catholic High School P.T.A., Girl Scout Leader for many years, and was the second president of the Shrewsbury Garden Club.  Prior to her marriage, she was a model for the John Powers Agency in New York; her photographs graced the covers of numerous magazines in the tri-state area.

But her real vocation was marriage and raising a family.

In 1942, while modeling a wedding dress, she met the love of her life, Jack Keaveney, an Irishman from Philadelphia, who was a Special Agent for the FBI.  The two were married in 1942 and together shared forty-three wonderful and exciting years until Jack passed away in 1985.

As a convert to Catholicism in 1962, Jane enthusiastically embraced, cherished and quietly lived her faith.  She was a devoted wife and the consummate mother and teacher, always exemplifying a gentle acceptance of God’s Will . . . never doubting, never questioning. 

Jane was a gracious hostess, was a gourmet chef, was an avid gardener, and loved the beach, sunshine and the “the Jersey Shore.”  She enjoyed traveling with the Association of Retired FBI Agents, as well as cruises with friends.  Jane was loving, patient, gentle, kind, strong and humble.  She was genuinely a happy and serene woman, always thankful for God’s blessings.

Jane is survived by two daughters:  Patricia Sullivan (John Charles, deceased), Rumson, New Jersey, and Diane Herson (Robert Herson), Vero Beach, Florida. Six grandchildren, whom she adored:  John Sullivan (Kimberly Tuby), Montclair, New Jersey, Erin Sullivan, Boston, Massachusetts, Michael Sullivan (Alyson), Tinton Falls, New Jersey, Kevin Sullivan (Nicole Walker), Sea Bright, New Jersey, Elizabeth Herson (John Holden), Scituate, Massachusetts, and Kathleen Coté (Gregory), Scituate, Massachusetts.  Her eleven precious great grandchildren:  Ryan and Andy Sullivan; Brian, Jason and Thomas Sullivan; Shane Sullivan; Liam and Sasha Holden; and Annie, Owen and Gavin Coté.  Also, surviving are numerous nieces and nephews and other extended family members.

If Jane were writing this, she would insist on thanking the many wonderful people who cared for her with extraordinary skill and kindness over the past several years, especially the remarkably gifted nurses and other professionals who lovingly worked tirelessly in Special Care II and Hospice at Bayside Manor.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Holy Cross R.C. Church, 30 Ward Ave, Rumson, NJ 07760 on Friday, December 15, 2017 at 10 AM.

Per Jane’s preference, her interment will be private.  In lieu of flowers, Jane would prefer that you get a nice glass of white wine, raise your glass, and toast in celebration of a blessed life, well lived.   Please visit Jane’s memorial website at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com

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