Jane Kilgallen

With profound sadness we announce the passing of Jane, our loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to all whose lives she touched on September 24, 2022.

She left us peacefully at her home in White Plains, NY. at the age of 89. Jane is survived by her husband of 57 years, her three children & their spouses, Roisin Barry (Kevin) of Fairfield, CT; Colum Kilgallen (Clare) of Greenwich, CT; Eugene Kilgallen of Paris, France; and her five grandchildren, Stephanie and Kyle Barry and Peter, John, and Daniel Kilgallen.

Also surviving her are her siblings Thonas Bernard (Mary Ann), Jim (the late Maureen), Carmel, Eithna Linehan (the late Joe), and Colm (the late Dymphna), her sisters-in-law Clodagh O'Kane, Kathleen O'Kane, Helen O'Kane, and Nuala Kilgallen; her brothers-in-law Patsy Kelly, Mickey O'Kane, Frank Kilgallen (Sheila), Mike Kilgallen (the late Rita), Thomas Kilgallen (the late Kathleen), and many, many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Jane is predeceased by her siblings: Josephine McReynolds (the late Denis), Frank O'Kane, Rosaleen Burke (the late Johnny), Dan O'Kane (the late Rita, first wife), Madeline Kelly, Billy O'Kane, and Flora O'Kane.

Jane was born in Lower Ovil, Dungiven, Co. Derry, in the North of Ireland on June 12, 1933, to Tommy and Mary (McNulty) O'Kane, the 5th of their 13 children. She always wanted the best out of life. Her independent spirit and ambition greatly exceeded the expectations and opportunities available to women in those times. Determined, she left Dungiven and earned her nursing qualifications in Belfast in 1953.

She arrived in Philadelphia in 1957 to continue her nursing career in the United States and worked at Hahnemann Hospital. Later, she moved to Chicago and became a head nurse at Edgewater Hospital. In Chicago she met her future husband, Joe Kilgallen. In 1964, they both left Chicago in pursuit of opportunity in New York, where. Jane continued her career at Rockefeller University Hospital. Jane and & Joe were married in New York City, on April 24, 1965, and they moved to White Plains from the Bronx, in 1973.

She loved to travel. She enjoyed summers in Monroe, NY and frequently visited her family and friends all across Ireland. She loved to cook and enjoyed a good party. She was highly skilled with knitting needles and crochet hooks and had an amazing green thumb.

Above all, she loved her entire family, her hometown of Dungiven and the United States of America. She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.

A celebration of Jane's life and a funeral mass will be held at St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 148 Hamilton Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10601, on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 11 am. Live Stream Link https://www.youtube.com/c/SJEOLMCChurchWhitePlainsNY

A Requiem Mass will take place on 15th of October 2022 at 2 pm in St Patrick’s Church, Dungiven, Co Derry, Northern Ireland, with interment immediately afterward in the adjoining graveyard. Livestream Link http://www.dungivenparish.com/webcam/

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations are being accepted in Jane's name at Paws Crossed Animal Rescue, Elmsford, NY. www.pawscrossedny.org/donate

For those wishing to attend, a block of rooms has been reserved at The Sonesta Hotel, White Plains, NY.  Please use the following codes to avail yourself of the special rate.

Your booking link: Kilgallen Funeral Rooms

Reservation phone number:  1-800- SONESTA (766-3782)

Your group code:  G100322KFRB

Cutoff date for making reservations:   10/1/2022