Jane Murray
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Jane Murray, 86, died in Lawrence, KS on March 4, 2016. Two weeks ago, she was returning from her KU class she was taking…this one was, “The Revolutionary War”. She stumbled over her feet and fell, fracturing her jaw. Although she was beginning to recover, a sprained ankle, small stroke and inability to eat, all ended up being … “just a bridge too far!” A party will be held in her honor at Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro at Bradley Fair, 8115 E. 21st St. N., Wichita, KS 67206 on Saturday, March 26th, come and go, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
Jane was born in Wichita, KS and graduated from East High School at age 16 in 1946. She was married to Harry Webster and had two children, Richard and Christine. After divorcing, she attended Wichita State University, with the help of financial aid. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. In spite of being a single woman with two children, she applied and was accepted to law school at the University of Kansas, but according to Jane, there were not enough jobs available for women in Lawrence at that time, which was a necessity to help pay her tuition. A good person came along who knew of her plight and helped her apply and receive a scholarship to attend Law school at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, graduating in 1958, a year early as she was out of money and the school allowed her to double up on her classes. She completed her course work, all while working part time doing medical transcription, answering calls at a switch board, and even cocktail waitressing…which Jane was not ashamed of commenting that it was by far, the best paying of her part time jobs!
After graduation from law school, Jane was accepted to the LLM program, a Masters of Law degree program at NYU in New York City. She considered this opportunity, but again, finances played a role and decided she could not accept and instead, needed to find a job to support her family as a single mother.
Jane remained in St. Louis, where her daughter, Rosa was born. Jane was in private law practice with her lifelong friend, Fred Reichmann. Later, Jane accepted a job at the U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis, MO, clerking for Justice Harry Blackmun, where she was particularly proud of her work associated with the long fought, Little Rock, AR public school integration cases.
In 1968, Jane returned to Wichita, KS to accept a Senior Law Clerk position with Federal Judge Wesley Brown. She clerked for Judge Brown for 35 years, retiring in 2003, when she was almost 75 years old. Jane then moved to Honolulu, HI, fondly telling friends she “ran away from home!” Almost immediately, she enrolled at the University of Hawaii and took a course on Hawaiian language. She must have made an impression, as soon afterwards, she and her classmates took off on a tour of all the islands with their young, shirtless instructor! While in Hawaii, Jane volunteered at the U.S. Army Museum, where she shared military history with visitors from around the world…..All of those “thick” books she read over the years came in handy! Mom returned to the mainland in 2010 and spent two years living near her daughter, Rosa in Elkhart, KS, before moving to Lawrence in 2011. Jane belonged to MENSA and was a 60-year member of the Missouri Bar.
Jane was the daughter of Ray and Madge (Beals) Meredith. Survivors include her daughter, Rosa Mitchell and her husband, Brian, Elkhart, KS; daughter, Christine Cook and husband, Larry, Wichita and daughters-in-law, Shelly Webster, Brooksville, FL and Ann Murray, Wichita. Grandchildren include Jordan Mitchell, Philadelphia, PA, Audrey Mitchell, Lawrence, KS, Michelle Wallace of Corpus Christi, TX, Eric Burns of Sedgwick, KS and Jesse Burns of Coolidge, AZ, Ian and Joe Webster of Brooksville, FL, Tara Cunningham, Wichita and Aaron Murray, Thornton, CO and niece, Pam Lappin, Atlanta, GA. Jane has 9 great grandchildren. Jane was proceeded in death by her son, Richard Webster, sister, Meredith Hill, step-son, Terry Murray and husband, Kenneth Murray.
Jane lived life to the fullest by being brave, not only to learn and try new things, but by service and advocating for those who lacked opportunities and resources to remedy injustices and achieve their full potential. As such, she supported the important legal work done by The Southern Poverty Law Center, located in Montgomery, AL. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to The Southern Poverty Law Center and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.
Rosa and family-Wanted to express my condolences on the loss of your mother. She was a strong and caring person and I always enjoyed talking to her at her appointments. I am glad to have had the opportunity to know her. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Molly Imber (MD)
Rosa and family – we were saddened to hear of your loss. Jane was an exceptional lady in all that she did. We remember how much she loved her yard and flowers when she lived in Wichita. She was such an advocate for the law and an inspiration to all who came in contact with her. She will be greatly missed. Please know that you and your family are in our prayers. Bob and Karen
Rosa and family My thoughts,prayers and sympathy
What a wonderful tribute to Jane’s life and accomplishments. God Bless the family. She will be fondly remembered. may she have eternal rest now and be reunited with her son Richard and other loving members of the family in heaven.
Rosa I am so sorry to hear about your mom. It appears she lived a very full life and was a great lady. Met her a few times but never actually got to know her but do know that she had a sweet daughter and that speaks well of her.
My sincere sympathy to all of her family. May you recieve comfort from the Lord at this time.
Back in the 80’s I had the priveledge of being Jane’s hairstylist for a number of years. What a wonderful tribute to a great lady. I still drive by her home here in Wichita and think if her. I was saddened to hear of her passing, but would like to offer my condolences to all of her family and friends, of which I feel honored to include myself, even if I hadn’t spoken to her in years. She offered me some wonderful advice back in the day and will never forget her.
Dear Rosa and family,
I’m so sorry for your loss. I loved the time I got to spend with Jane when I visited my father (Judge Wesley Brown) in Wichita And I loved hearing his praise for her and delighted stories about her when I wasn’t there. What a glass-ceiling breaker she was! And what a free spirit besides. I think she would have loved the way you wrote her obituary. It captures the smart, hard-working, tough, adventuresome, humorous, and genial person I felt honored to visit with. I’m sad that her fall and injuries must have been very painful, but the fact that they occurred when she was walking home from a class art KU is still another inspiration. RIP, Jane. You will be remembered with great fondness.
Rosa and family, We are so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful mother you had. We know you are so grateful for the time you had traveling with her and just being with her. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. We are here for you if you need anything.
Rosa and Family,
Thank You For Sharing Your Mom With Us During Her Years In Hawaii! We Had Some Fantastic Times Which We Will Cherish Forever! Your Mom Was Such A Great Friend To My Parents And They Cherished Their Time Together!
Thank You For Opening Your Hawaii Home To Us For A Once In A Lifetime Vacation!
Your Mom Will Live On In Our Hearts Forever!
God bless All Of You!
Larry And Diane Sparks McClure
Great! I’ve modified it to version 1.55 and reset my cache. I hope it fixes those odd occassions when it hyperlinks text that doesn’t point to a verse.I love scripturizer, though. Good work on it.I’d suggest adding an option to define an optional style for the references and to optionally implement ta21lt=̶g;_beankr21; for the references.RIch.