Jane Bishop Fahey, a 34-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully at home in the arms of her family on May 5. She was 80. Born in Boston, Massachusettts, on September 21, 1924, Jane lived with her parents, Mary VanCourtland Richards and James Thoburn Bishop in Cleveland, Ohio, before moving to New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1934. She graduated from Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, as president of her class and Columbia University with an R.N. degree. She became a supervisory nurse at Presbyterian Hospital, where she met John Leslie Fahey, M.D. They married in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, in 1954. They lived in Washington, D.C., and London before settling in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to raise their three children. In 1971, Jane and John moved their family to a beautiful home in the Palisades, where they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year. In 1972, Jane helped to organize the library’s Fourth of July parade float. She joined the Palisades Woman’s Club and enjoyed the friendship of many neighbors and resource persons in the village shops, banks and markets. In 1970, Jane suffered the onset of multiple sclerosis that progressively limited her activities. Yet she traveled with John to England, Ireland, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and Japan, cruised the Panama Canal, and spent three weeks on safari with family in East Africa. She participated in many celebrations with family and old friends. She was game to try it all. Jane loved gourmet cooking, big red wines, the L.A. Opera and the Philharmonic, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. She was a talented artist, a passionate naturalist, an avid gardener, a Girl Scout troop leader and a teacher of ecology to inner-city youth. In addition to her husband, Jane is survived by her children, Marguerite of West L.A., James (wife Kaoru) of Tarrytown, New York, and Catharine of Boulder, Colorado, as well as grandchildren Allison, Cassidy and Audrey. She was a radiant person with a wonderful laugh and an insightful sense of humor. Her patience, kindness and nurturing presence will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m. at Corpus Christi Church, corner of Sunset and Carey. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 115, Los Angeles, CA 90064.
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