Jane Alice Morin

Jane Alice Morin, 77, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Wednesday, October 7, surrounded by her loving family.

Jane is survived by her sister, Margaret (Morin) Ragaini and her husband Brad, her three nieces, with whom she lived and helped raise for 25 years, Monique (Beck) David and her husband Kyle, Kelly (Beck) Zanauskas and her husband Daniel, Kristen (Beck) Allen and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews as well as countless cousins and friends, both local and around the country. She was predeceased by her parents, Edmond and Margaret (Keough) Morin, her brother Thomas Morin, and her sister, Kathleen (Morin) Beck.

As a child, Jane enjoyed playing with her siblings and countless cousins, never letting her blindness slow her down. She was fearless in everything. Riding on the handlebars of her big brother’s bike as a child and driving a car on at least two separate occasions are just a few examples. She treasured the few weekends she had with her siblings, Tommy, Peggy and Kathy, as she lived at and attended Perkins School for the Blind from 1954-1969. At aged 14 she began her singing career, singing with her sister Kathy at their father’s Granite club in Millbury. At 16 she was the Grand Champion on The Community Audition Show. After graduating from Perkins, she sang in many area clubs and private functions with “The Townsmen”. Her many career highlights included singing with Bob Hope at his yearly “Hope for the Blind” golf tournaments at Pleasant Valley CC., appearing on the Mike Douglas Show, and singing the National Anthem at Fenway during the opening game of the 1975 World series. She also opened for Frank Sinatra at the grand opening of the Worcester Centrum in 1982. In her free time, she belonged to the Auburn Lion’s Club, serving as their president for many years. You could find her dutifully stretching dough at their fried dough booth every Fourth of July.

Despite her exciting brushes with fame, she most loved the time spent with her ‘precious’ nieces (referring to them often as “the children I’ll never have”), listening and singing to her extensive record collection and watching the Red Sox on summer evenings. In her later years, she lived independently, hosting dinner parties with family and friends, or having her two best friends, Jackie and Judy, over to watch a game.

She was a faithful Catholic and could be found praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Novena every day at 3 o’clock without fail.

Jane was a generous and loving person-a beautiful example of how to live life fully, despite what cards you are dealt.

Her funeral Mass will be held at St. Brigid’s Church, 59 N. Main Street in Millbury, on Wednesday, October 14th at 10:30 a.m. with burial to follow at Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) at https://www.mabvi.org/ 

The family would like to thank the dedicated staff of Holy Trinity Rehabilitation for their exceptional care of Jane, and Carolann Testa, her PCA, who tirelessly supported Jane for 10 years, becoming one of her most trusted friends later in life.