Mary Jane Carter

MARY JANE CARTER MARY JANE CARTER, 86, of Racine died on December 26th, 2015 at Wheaton Franciscan (St. Mary's) Hospital, Racine following a stroke. Born in Chicago, IL, she was the daughter of the late Paul Albon and Jane C. (nee: Walker) Davis. At the age of 2, she moved with her family to Kenosha where she grew up, attending Durkee Elementary school, Lincoln Jr. High, and Bradford High School. She began her college career at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. After her family moved to Missouri, she completed her B.A. and M.A. degrees in English and Theatre at the University of Kansas City, now the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She taught English and Speech and Drama, and directed play productions, at the high school and college levels in Missouri, Kansas, Massachusetts and New York. Additionally, she began her professional career as a stage director for the inaugural season of the Lyric Theatre opera company in Kansas City, and subsequently directed and acted in academic, community and professional theatre venues for many years in New York, New England and the Mid-West. Mary Jane began a second career in her 40s as a paralegal. She obtained her state certification from New York University Law School in New York City, and worked as a paralegal in the field of intellectual property for two law firms in the city, and later in the Law Department of PepsiCo, Inc. in Purchase, NY, from which position she retired after 10 years. She returned to the Kenosha/Racine area at the time of her mother’s death in 1994. In 1958 Mary Jane had married David Findlay Dodds and moved to New York. They subsequently divorced. In August of 2005 she married Colin J. R. Carter of Racine, whom she met while working at the Racine Theatre Guild. They made their home in Racine. Among a variety of interests in her life, two stand out as major commitments: her devotion to the theatre, which was nurtured by her parents and began as a young teen with the old Kenosha Little Theatre; and a love of the outdoors, especially birds, and a consequent passion for conservation. While living in New York, Mary Jane was a member of the Board of Directors for the city chapter of the League of Women Voters, responsible for program development and public discussion forums on the issues of clean air and clean water: work which ultimately resulted in laws to support and enforce reforms in these vital areas. She was a past member of the Sierra Club, and at the time of her death was a member of the Audubon Society, the International Crane Foundation, Nature Conservancy, Clean Waters Wisconsin, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In college, she had been a member of Alpha Delta Pi social sorority. Mary Jane and her husband Colin were also active members and season ticket holders at the Racine Theatre Guild, and attended the Lakeside Players’ productions in Kenosha. Another strongly shared interest was music, including opera, ballet, musical theatre, and symphony and chamber concerts. Husband and wife also shared an enthusiasm for reading, travel, and crossword puzzles. Mary Jane thoroughly enjoyed the English sports of cricket and rugby, which her husband—a native of England—had explained to her. She also liked American football, albeit with divided loyalties; basically she was a New England Patriots fan, but in Wisconsin became a somewhat reluctant fan of the Packers. In addition to her parents, Mary Jane was preceded in death by her brother, Paul Davis II, her sister-in-law Lillian H. Davis, and a niece Helen Elizabeth in infancy. She is survived by her husband Colin, her daughter Elizabeth D. Trimbach of Connecticut, her step-daughter Kirsten S.E. Carter of Milwaukee, her step-son Ashley J.R. Carter of California, and four grandchildren Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 30th, 2015 at Sturino Funeral Home from 10 am with funeral services to follow at 12 noon with Rev. Dr. Tony Larsen officiating. She will be laid to rest at Sunset Ridge Memorial Park and Mausoleum. Those wishing to remember Mary Jane in a special way may direct memorials to Audubon Society, the International Crane Foundation or the Nature Conservancy.

Tributes

Mary Jane Carter

July 10, 1929 - December 26, 2015