Jane A. McChesney's Obituary
Jane A. McChesney, 63, of Liverpool, NY, passed away on Monday, May 18, 2026. The daughter of Hugh Bailey, Bradenton, FL, and Beverly McCarthy, Sanbornville, NH, Jane was born in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Nov. 27, 1962.
An avid reader from a young age, Jane made the Kittery public library a second home. Her love of reading was matched by her athletic interests and competitive spirit. She ran cross country and track in high school and continued to run as a Division 1 athlete at the University of Maine, from which she graduated in 1985.
Jane began a career as a newspaper newsroom leader at a daily paper in Dover, NH, where she quickly rose from copy editor to assistant news editor. A short while later she was recruited to be the news editor at The Recorder in Greenfield, Mass. After moving to Liverpool in 1999, Jane joined the Syracuse Newspapers where she rose from assistant city editor to news editor before accepting a buy out and joined SRC where she worked on proposals for defense projects. Again, her talent and work ethic earned her a leadership position, senior corporate proposal manager.
Jane’s work was important, but not as important to her as her family. In the 1990s, she gave birth to four children within a six-year span. Nothing gave her more joy than those children as they grew from infants to adulthood. She loved attending school events, kids’ sports, and was active in her daughters’ Girl Scouts activities.
Her devotion to her children might be best exemplified by her decision when they were very young that she would never be the one to end a hug first, preferring to keep hugging until the child released their grip.
Her kindness and concern for others extended to the family’s pets and one time to baby bird she found had fallen from its nest. She cared for the bird until it was able to fly away on its own.
Jane is survived by her husband of nearly 35 years, Charles; her daughters, Alexandra Marie (Edmundo) McChesney, of Atlanta, and Emily Arlene (Scott) Stanford, of Clay; her sons, John George II, of Liverpool, and Calvin Tucker, of Fort Meyers, FL; her parents, Hugh Bailey and Beverly McCarthy; her brother, Gary (Lisa) Bailey; her mother-in-law, Arlene McChesney; her sister-in-law, Wendy Indick; along with several beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation will take place on Friday, May 22, 2026, from 4:00 – 6:00 P.M. immediately followed by a funeral service in celebration of Jane’s life at 6:00 P.M. at the THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, 3401 Vickery Rd. (corner of Buckley Rd.) North Syracuse, NY 13212.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Rice Public Library in Kittery, Maine, or Helping Hounds in North Syracuse.
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