Jane Sharp MacRae

Jane MacRae Obituary

Marietta Jane Stiles Sharp MacRae
May 22, 1917 - June 28, 2012
Chapel Hill, NC
Jane Sharp MacRae passed away peacefully at the age of 95 at Carolina Meadows retirement community, Chapel Hill, NC, on Thursday, June 28th, 2012.
She was born Marietta Jane Stiles in Buffalo, New York, May 22, 1917, to parents Archibald Wilson Stiles and Nellie Hermenia Campbell Stiles.
She was an avid member of the NC League of Women Voters, the NC League of Conservation Voters, Haw River Assembly, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and numerous recycling and environmental endeavors throughout her lifetime. Her home was one of the first in the Chapel Hill area to have solar panels installed in 1995. She served on the NC Governor's Council for Clean Air, lobbied regularly in Raleigh for environmental issues, and taught piano lessons to many students in Durham and Chapel Hill over the span of her lifetime.
Widow of David Gordon Sharp and most recently of Duncan MacRae, Jr., Jane is survived by her son, John David Sharp of Arlington, MA, daughters, Lora Sharp McQueen of Göteborg, Sweden, Linda Sharp of Atlanta, GA, and Leah Sharp Makdisi of Richmond, TX, and a stepdaughter, Amy MacRae of St. Louis, MO, as well as three grandsons, William Frederick Doolittle IV, Clifford Andrew Sharp and Kenneth Gordon Sharp.
A memorial service will be announced at a later time.
In lieu of flowers our family is requesting donations in memory of Jane Sharp-MacRae to:
NC League of Conservation Voters https://nclcv.org/involved/donate/
The Rocky Mountain Institute https://www.rmi.org/In+Honor+or+In+Memory+Of
Duke Gardens Donations/membership: 919-684-5579
Haw River Assembly P.O. Box 187, Bynum, NC 27228. Please write "HRA Donation" on the check memo line.
Carolina Meadows 100 Carolina Meadows, Chapel Hill, NC 27517-8505, 800-458-6756
The Community Church 106 Purefoy Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 942-2050

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The News & Observer from Jul. 1 to Jul. 8, 2012.

Memories and Condolences
for Jane MacRae

6 Entries

a 2010 picture . . .

Susie Crate

September 26, 2012

PS--And here is the photo of baby Katie-- now an almost 17-year old beauty! Thanks for the part you played in this Jane :-)
[I was unsuccessful getting the photo on with the initial entry-- hoping this time it works-- fingers crossed]

Susie Crate

September 25, 2012

What are amazing person Jane was in the world!!!! I remember meeting her when I first came to Durham in 1984 to work for the NCPIRG streamwatch program, our office in the old house on Duke's East Campus. Jane was such an inspiration with her constant vim and vigor, her contagious joy for life and getting things done right, and her sense of wonder of the beauty of our world. She also helped us immensely when our little Katie was first born-- coming to stay with her for a few hours while Mom got away to do a few things for herself . . . the picture shows our beauty and Jane contributed to the beauty she is!---and she taught me to pour my freshly brewed coffee first into a thermos, then fill my cup out of the thermos, then top it off with as much of the rest of the coffee in the pot-- so I would save energy by having the coffee kept warm in the thermos. This is something I do every day and so I get to remember her daily. I could go on and on about Jane-- gem, jewel, beauty of a human being-- we will miss you dearly xoxoxoxox

Heron on the Haw River

Elaine Chiosso

July 30, 2012

Jane will always be an inspiration to me, and so many others. Her gentle but effective strength as an advocate - working to protect our planet, her brilliant and creative energy, and her encouragement of those around her will never be forgotten. I'm proud to be one of the women she encouraged.
Elaine Chiosso, Haw Riverkeeper, Haw River Assembly

Deborah Amaral

July 5, 2012

It was such an honor to spend any time at all with Jane, but especially so during my brief visits during her last week with us. She was such an inspiration to me as an elder who was a hardworking, pragmatic activist and yet still a person with faith in the Universe. I will miss Jane's shining light.

Thank you to all who visited and sat with Jane during her time at Carolina Meadows Healthcare Center, especially John and Linda and the singers from the Haw River Assembly. And thank you Louise and Eloise for being the messengers for our community.

I found an image to share:
http://adland.tv/n1rv4n4g8/2009/febjpgs/GE_Frog.jpg
in memory of Jane.

Linda Sharp

July 4, 2012

For my cosmic, leading edge Mom, who invested herself so much in our upbringing and future lives,

Love,
Lin