Jane (Morse) McLane, 92, of Mystic, beloved wife of 35 years to the late Halford P. McLane, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 21, 2026. She was born on September 17, 1933, in Quincy, Mass., one of two children to the late Frank A. Morse and Margaret Forbes.

During her childhood, Jane’s family moved frequently to follow her father, an engineer involved in rural electrification. The family lived in New Orleans, Kansas, and Pennsylvania, and finally settled in Windham, N.H. After high school, she attended the University of New Hampshire and began her career in teaching in Pelham, N.H. An early marriage ended in divorce. In 1960, she and her young son moved to New Canaan, Conn., where she had a highly successful career as an elementary school teacher. Among many other accomplishments, she led efforts to modernize instruction in mathematics and was among the first teachers to incorporate computers and programming into her lesson plans.

She and her second husband, Hal McLane, enjoyed sailing as well as breeding and showing dogs. Several of her Hungarian Puli won championships in both confirmation and obedience. An interest in antiques (especially Georgian silver, Chinese export pottery and Oriental rugs) eventually developed into a successful business. The couple were regular exhibitors at high-end antique shows all over the eastern United States. In 1998 the couple moved to Niantic, Conn. In retirement, she enjoyed biking, kayaking, and teaching canine obedience. She held a leadership role with the Child and Family Agency in New London and volunteered as a tutor. As her health declined in recent years, she moved to Masonicare at Mystic in 2025.

Jane is survived by her son, Marc R. Cardwell and his wife Bonnie of Hampton, Conn.; her three grandchildren, Marc A. Cardwell and his wife Jaci of Roswell, Ga., Carolyn Ng and her husband Steve of Arlington, Va., and Richard Posner of New Orleans, La.; her five great-grandchildren, Adam, Lena, Sophia, Austin and Sarah; her sister-in-law, Fran Morse of Sulphur, Ky.; her nephew, Frank A. Morse, III of Sulphur, Ky.; and her niece, Jenn Morse of Newbury, N.H. In addition to her husband and parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Frank A. Morse, Jr.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, August 14, 2026, beginning at 1 pm at the Niantic Community Church, 170 Pennsylvania Ave, Niantic, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern CT by visiting childandfamilyagency.org or to The Nature Conservancy by visiting preserve.nature.org. To leave an online message of condolence for her family, please visit carmonfuneralhome.com.

The Newtown Bee July 10, 2026