Jane Frances Holmes

Jane Frances Holmes, age 72, passed away peacefully on November 2, 2023, at the Pheasant Wood Center in Peterborough, NH, surrounded by the support and love of her family and friends.

Jane was born on January 30, 1951 in the Bronx, New York City, the daughter of William Holmes and Jane Ryan Holmes. The family relocated to Miami, FL in 1953 when her father began a job with Pan American Airlines.

Jane graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Miami in 1969, where she was an excellent student and National Latin Award winner. She then attended the University of Florida, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in 1973 and a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology in 1975.

Although her family assumed that Jane would return to the Miami area, she had other plans, and decided to move north to New England. Crotched Mountain Center in Greenfield, NH offered her a position and she worked there for six years, eventually becoming the Director of the Speech and Language Department.

It was also the place where she met Christopher Gallagher, the love of her life. They relocated to Dublin, NH and were married at Our Lady of the Snows Church in 1984. Their daughter Clare was born in 1986 and their son Brendan in 1989, and they became the center of her world through the Dublin Consolidated School, Scouts, and sports teams.

In 1982, Jane became one of the first employees of Rise for baby and family in Keene, an early intervention program for children from birth to age three. During her thirty-seven year career at Rise, Jane touched the lives of hundreds of local children and their families through her good humor and clear, sensible approach to speech therapy. It was not unusual, many years later, for parents to approach Jane on the street or at the grocery store and thank her for the support and guidance she had provided.

Jane was also a long-time Trustee of the Dublin Public Library and a member of the town Recycling Committee. She was very proud when the committee completed the construction of the new building at the Transfer Station. Jane was also one of the few people in the world who loved to do door-to-door canvassing during election season. Family members often had to search for her in darkness to ask her to come home.

In 2018, Jane was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease called Multiple System Atrophy. It affects the central and autonomic nervous systems and has no cure. It eventually affected her ability to speak and to swallow. Despite that, Jane never once complained or felt sorry for herself. Chris became her caregiver and together they able to visit Ireland and Italy twice and stay in touch with family and friends.

Jane is survived by her husband of thirty-nine years, Chris; daughter Clare and husband Gary Gorski of Peterborough; son Brendan of York, ME; brother Bill and wife Andrea of Satellite Beach, FL; and sister Kathy of Peterborough. One of her greatest joys was spending time with her beloved four-year-old grandchildren, Emmett and Nora Gorski of Peterborough.

Relatives include her sister-in-law Joan Mastrianni of Albany, New York and nieces Christina, Julie, Liz, Gigi, Kathy, Patty, Peggy, Chrissy, Shannon, Jill and nephew Will, in addition to many grandnieces and grandnephews.

Jane was a unique, funny, kind, gentle soul who will be missed by all.

The family thanks the staff and residents at Scott-Farrar in Peterborough, where Chris and Jane lived for two years, as well as the staff at Pheasant Wood Center who provided excellent comfort care during her last days.

Services will be held at the Dublin Community Church, 1125 Main Street, on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception at the Dublin Community Center next door. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in her honor to Rise for Baby and Family (www.riseforbabyandfamily.org) or the Dublin Public Library (www.dublinnhpubliclibrary.org).

The Cremation Society of New Hampshire has been entrusted with arrangements. To view an online tribute or leave a message of condolence, please visit the Cremation Society website at www.csnh.com.