Jane F. (Keefe) Rinck

Waltham - Mrs. Jane F. (Keefe) Rinck died Monday, February 2, 2026, in Maristhill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Waltham after a short illness. She was 90.

Jane was born in Jamaica Plain on March 13, 1935, daughter of the late John and Bertha (White) Keefe. Raised in Watertown, she attended the Hosmer School and was later a proud alumna of Mount Saint Joseph Academy class of 1952, where she embraced her Catholic education, made lifelong friends, and was the captain of her basketball team!

After graduation, she worked in Boston at both John Hancock and Liberty Mutual Insurance companies. At that time, Jane accepted an invitation to join a work colleague to visit some family in Jacksonville, FL. That trip would set the course for the next 68 years of her life. It was there that a sharp, young Navy man named Philip J. Rinck, a friend of the family Jane was staying with from nearby Fernandina Beach, agreed to take Jane on a tour of the area. And as the story goes, Jane would write Philip a thank you note, and he wrote back…and thus a long-distance courtship through love letters and phone calls ensued. Jane and Philip were married 66 years ago, in her hometown parish of Saint Theresa in Watertown, on June 13, 1959. They eventually bought their first home in Waltham, the home they still reside in, where they became members of St. Jude's Parish, raised a family, and became active members of the community.

Once their children were all of school age, Jane’s clerical proficiency landed her a job as a secretary at Saint Patrick Elementary School in Watertown. It was a job that afforded her the opportunity to use her accomplished organizational skills and be home when the kids returned from school. Jane unfailingly supported the varying needs and activities of all four children, rarely missing any extracurricular events.

Jane’s Catholic faith remained central and steadfast all her life. A member of Saint Jude’s Parish, she was once Prefect of Sodality; she supported the Finance Committee by counting the weekly monetary contributions each Sunday; she was appointed an Extraordinary Minister to bring the Eucharist to the infirmed; she taught CCD; and she served on the Altar Guild for decades by impeccably ironing the church linens for services. No one worked an iron better than Jane! Volunteerism was at her core, and together with Philip she prepared meals for The Bristol Lodge shelter in Waltham for 30 years.

Jane was extremely active and social. She and Philip were in a bowling league for years, and Jane played softball in her local Warrendale community back in the 70’s. She walked Main Street daily with girlfriends, and then later with Philip, eventually moving off road and onto the safety of the soft high school track. Walking was both a commitment to fitness and a social tradition, one that continued until just this winter.

Jane loved to travel, her two favorite destinations being Disney World and Ireland, and she made sure her entire family would experience a trip together to each happy place. Family was what Jane cherished most, and her devotion to fostering kindness, honesty, humility, good humor and generosity was evident in every decision she made for herself, her children, and her grandchildren. She truly “walked the talk” and personified the Bible’s Golden Rule: Do Unto Others as You Would Have Done unto You.

In heaven Jane is reunited with her daughter, Marie F. Bettano (Sept 9, 2001) and her brother, Arthur Keefe.

In addition to her husband of 66 years, Philip, she leaves her children, Patricia A. Cutler (Paul) of Natick, Thomas G. Rinck (Tanya) of San Marcos, California and Timothy J. Rinck (Terriann) of Oceanside, New York; her grandchildren, Meaghan Bettano, Olivia Hopkins (Anthony), Bianca Cutler (Joseph Bateh), Sophia Cutler, Brittany Goudreault (Bill), Tyler Rinck (Kaira), Connor Rinck (Maria), Alexandra Rinck (fiancée Zack Droblas), Timothy Rinck and Lauren Rinck; her great-grandchildren, Finn, Aviana + Thomas, Reese + Cameron; also survived by nieces and nephews, and her longtime best friend since elementary school, Marie Doherty.

Family and friends will honor and remember Jane’s life by gathering for an Evening Wake in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Wednesday, February 11th from 4 to 7 p.m. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, February 12 in St. Jude’s Church, 147 Main Street, Waltham, at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Saint Patrick Cemetery, Watertown.

Those wishing to view the broadcast (and recording) of Jane's Mass please use this link: https://my.gather.app/remember/jane-rinck

In her later years, Jane was always grateful for the opportunity, for both herself and others, to stay connected to the faith even when unable to physically get to church. She regularly participated in the Mass through Catholic TV. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Boston Catholic Television, P.O. Box 9196, 34 Chestnut Street, Watertown, MA 02472 or https://www.catholictv.org/