Jane J. Bush

1945 - 2023

Jane J. Bush

April 24, 1945 - November 17, 2023

Hilton Head, South Carolina - Jane Bush passed away unexpectedly in Hilton Head, SC on Friday, November 17, 2023. She was doing what she loved, walking her dog Dandy, when she suffered a thoracic aortic dissection and died shortly thereafter at the Hilton Head Hospital.

Jane led an amazing life! She was born in Washington D.C. in 1945. Her parents, Howard C. (Jack) and Jane (Burke) Jackson raised her in Swarthmore, PA, where she graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1963 and then went to Mt. Holyoke College, graduating in 1967. It was in Holyoke, MA where she met her husband, William M. Bush Jr. (Bill). They were married nearly 45 years from 1967 until he passed away in 2012.

Jane leaves behind her children Betsy (Steve Schalk) Bush and William M. Bush III (Billy) and Elva Lee, her granddaughter Rylee Jane Lee Bush, her sister Joan (David) Martin, and 4 nephews and their families.

Jane began her career as a teacher, then focused her attention on raising Betsy and Billy before she and Bill bought and operated a very successful retail business in Downeast Maine. She was also the longest serving board member of Bangor Hydro Electric Co, finally retiring in 2016 after almost 25 years. Throughout her career she was always active in numerous charities, serving on dozens of committees throughout her community and with her church.

Jane will always be remembered for her contagious smile, her enthusiastic, engaging personality and her eternally positive attitude. She truly never met a stranger. She was an extraordinary cook and a fabulous entertainer. She always stayed active - skiing, waterskiing, biking, walking and playing tennis until the very end. She was also a voracious reader and an avid traveler, with many friends all over this world.

In retirement, she split her time between Hilton Head, SC and Greenville, ME. Arguably, her greatest joy in the past couple years was the birth of her granddaughter Rylee. She couldn't get enough of Rylee, whether she was reading her stories, blowing bubbles or taking her to the playground in Hong Kong, Rylee was truly the apple of her eye!

Services for Jane will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Hilton Head from 2:00 on Saturday, December 9, 2023. Online streaming will be available for those who can't make the services.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to Hope for Hallie (www.hopeforhallie.org), the rescue organization where she got Dandy - Save a Dog in Sudbury, MA (www.saveadog.org) or First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head (www.fpchhi.org)