Jane May

Born in 1919 to Harold and Bessie (Flecknoe) Parker in Gambier, Ohio. She attended the Gambier High School, graduating in 1937. After completing studies at the Mount Vernon Business School she worked for Cooper-Bessemer in Mt. Vernon, Ohio before taking an assignment with the U.S. Air Corps at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. In 1941, her unit was transferred to Detroit, Mich. There she met a recent graduate of Kenyon College (located in her hometown) who was studying Medicine at Wayne University. On Dec. 19, 1943 Jane and Donald May were married in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Gambier, Ohio on Kenyon's campus. This was the church in which she had grown upwas baptized and confirmed. Jane came to Kalamazoo in 1949 after her husband was discharged from the Army and entered Bronson Hospital as a resident in internal medicine. A lifelong Episcopalian, much of her volunteer time was dedicated to her church on several levelsparish, Diocese, Province and National Church. She was an elected deputy to five general conventions. She served for many years as a chalice bearer and lay Eucharist minister. Close to her heart were the hours she spent working as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Donald May. She is survived by her children, Nancy (Tom) Meiron of Springfield, IL, Susan (Mike) Fitzgerald of Alpena, Janice Livesay of Portage, and John (Sveri) May of Kalamazoo; nine grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held for Jane and her husband Donald G. May on June 10th, 11:00 AM, at St. Luke's Church, 247 W. Lovell St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Gambier, Ohio at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Episcopal Relief & Development; Knox County Historical Society (Ohio); and Quarry Chapel, Gambier, Ohio. Family and friends may share a condolence message online at www.joldersma-klein.com.