JAYNE ELEANOR CANTOR

CANTOR, Jayne Eleanor Of Cambridge, passed away peacefully on September 16, 2024, surrounded by family. She was profoundly kind and graceful; deeply loved by a wide circle of friends and family. She was devoted to her beloved husband, Leon; children, Jeremy and Mali; brother, David Rossinow; and grandchildren, Tariq, Moses, and Cenovia. Jayne was born in 1944 in Bugle, Cornwall, UK. When she was 2, she traveled with her mother by ship to be reunited with her father in Brooklyn, NY. She grew up in Teaneck, NJ, where she met Leon. They began dating after high school and married in 1966. She graduated from Penn State University, lived in New York City and traveled through Europe and Africa for almost a year before moving to Cambridge. She worked for the NYC Department of Child Welfare, Harvard University Alumni Association, and the Cambridge Community Partnership for Children (including the popular "Ask Jayne" hotline). She was committed to civil and equal rights, participating in demonstrations throughout her life, volunteering for many years counseling for Planned Parenthood, and tutoring adult ESL students. Jayne had many hobbies, talents, and passions. She loved classical, folk, R & B, and Motown music, and sang for over 25 years with the Cambridge Community Chorus, where she served as a board officer. She loved cooking and baking: her cookies and birthday cakes inspired salivation and awe.Taking a walk around Fresh Pond with a friend or making time for a good book-group book were weekly activities. To know Jayne, was to love her. She could laugh at herself with ease; and make laughing at your own self equally fun. She listened as few of us can. Family meant everything to Jayne. As a humble person, her concerns were for others first, especially those in need or less fortunate than herself. Her thoughtfulness and infectious laugh will be forever missed. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the Cambridge Community Chorus and Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

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