Jane Frances Morse

Jane Frances Morse, of Garner, N.C. (formerly of Amesbury, Mass.), passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the age of 92.

Jane was born to Frank Langley Morse, Sr. and Rose Mary (Bartholemew) Morse, of Weston, Mass. She attended Weston High School, where she was voted "Most Talkative," "Most Impulsive," "Most Cooperative," and "Most Athletic," playing tennis, basketball and softball, along with cheerleading. She also played trumpet, sang in the glee club, worked on the Yearbook staff, and took part in numerous other student clubs before graduating in 1951.

After high school, she attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1955, and years later, as a single mother, she put herself through graduate school at Simmons College, earning a master's degree, before becoming an elementary school teacher for 27 years at the Winthrop School in Ipswich, Mass.

In addition to teaching, Jane loved crafts, music (especially jazz, The Beatles, and opera), gardening, reading, and cooking. Her chicken pot pie was legendary, and her made-from-scratch desserts, like blueberry and apple pie, were always welcome at any dinner.

After retiring from teaching in 1999, Jane continued to live an extremely active life, sharing her gifts with others and enjoying her small home in Amesbury. She donated time managing the Amesbury Senior Center thrift shop as well as driving senior citizens to doctors' appointments as far away as Boston. She took pride in her home, building a beautiful terraced garden by hand and decorating in a style that reflected her simple, minimalist sense of aesthetics. She continued her passions of caring for her beloved cats and expressing her creativity through arts and crafts - making stained glass, weaving baskets, and sketching from nature.

Jane always maintained a strong sense of family, caring for her mother and aunts in their later years, and she doted on her grandchildren. When her grandchildren relocated, she sold her home and moved to North Carolina, sight unseen, to actively participate in raising them. Maria, David and Alice were beyond blessed to have Nonni's love and guidance as they grew - seeing her volunteer at their school, sharing their experiences over their weekly after-school snack dates, and enjoying one-on-one time at their overnight stays.

She was a strong, proud, and independent woman who raised two successful children on her own and was still shoveling her own snow at the age of 80.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Arthur Cohen and Alicia Martinelli of Garner, N.C., three grandchildren: Maria, David and Alice Cohen, several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and her loving cat Tessa who was a constant presence at her bedside in her final hours. She was predeceased by her parents, her daughter Mio Cohen of Salt Lake City, Utah, her sister Rosemarie St. Germain of Grandview, Missouri, and her brother Frank L. Morse, Jr. of Spring, Texas.

Donations may be made in Jane's memory to any local animal shelter or community gardening organization.