Obituary of Jane B. Reilly

Jane Bernadette Reilly of Santa Cruz, CA. passed away peacefully in Santa Cruz at the age of 86 surrounded by her loved ones on 7/26/2015. Jane was born in San Francisco on 6/26/1929 to Jennie and Bernard Reilly and was the oldest sister of 8 children. Jane lived most of her life in Lagunitas, CA until she moved to Santa Cruz to be with her sister in 2009. Proceeded in death by her parents Jennie and Bernard Reilly, brothers William, Myles and Felim Reilly, sisters Maureen Hurley and Canice Santos. Jane is survived by her brother John Reilly of Santa Clara and sister Kathleen Ritter of Santa Cruz. Jane had no children but was the proud loving aunt and great aunt to her many nieces and nephews related biologically as well as an extended family in Santa Cruz that loved her very much. Jane always had a hug and a kiss ready for the little ones whenever she saw them. She also was very patient in sharing her love of gardening and cooking. She was also a model in her day for Gallo wines. It was very exciting for her to see herself on a billboard posted in Time Square in New York City. Jane worked many jobs to save enough money so that she could travel to Paris France in 1974 to attend the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, which she graduated from in 1975. Jane was a wonderful cook who enjoyed cooking professionally as well as for her family. All of us have a favorite dish or dessert that Jane had made throughout our lives. Jane was very active in the Republican Party elections in San Francisco in the 1960's and 70'and had many stories about her experiences. Jane also enjoyed skiing, golf and swimming throughout her life. Jane caught the travel bug after she attended cooking school and many years later became a travel agent and traveled extensively to many parts of the world. She also donated her time for Irish charities to bring Catholic and Protestant children together to stay in the United States to facilitate positive relationships. The Catholic Church was very important to Jane and was a wonderful influence on her nieces and nephews and encouraged them to receive communion on many occasions. A service will be held in Santa Cruz, CA, August 15th 2:00pm. at Oakwood Crystal Chapel, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95065 She will be interred at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Coloma, CA in the Reilly family plot at a later date. In lieu of flowers please forward donations to Hospice of Santa Cruz County 940 Disc Dr., Scotts Valley, CA 95066 or Saint Joseph's Catholic Community 435 Monterey Street, Capitola, CA 95010.