In Remembrance: Jane Britton Buchanan ’68MAT Died on July 22 2024

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Jane Britton Buchanan, born September 10, 1935, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2024, with family by her side. She is survived by Robert M. Buchanan, her husband of 67 years, and by her four children: Robert M. Buchanan Jr. of Weston, Massachusetts, and his wife Chantal; Jamy B. Buchanan of Rockport, Massachusetts, and her husband Jimmy; Stephen S. Buchanan of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and his wife Natasha; and Genevra B. Casais of Franklin, Massachusetts, and her husband John. Also surviving are her eight grandchildren: Bernadette, Vivian, Lizzie, Lexie, Mark, Maya, Adam, and Alyssa, and two great-grandchildren, George and Ollie; her brother David Britton and his wife Birdie; and nieces and nephews Sara and her husband Lance, David, and Rebecca and her husband Tony.

Jane was raised in Windsor, Connecticut, and spent childhood summers in Vermont. She was a bright student from an early age, skipped first grade, and graduated first in her class at the Chaffee School, where her mother taught English. Over the years Jane frequently amused her family by reciting at great speed the names of all her high school classmates, often ending with her infectious laugh. Jane loved attending Wellesley College, which was also the alma mater of her mother, Josephine Britton. Jane was managing editor of the college newspaper. After graduation she married Bob, moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and enjoyed working at Harvard Law School where he was a student. 

Jane followed in her mother's footsteps and became an English teacher, as did her brother David. In the mid-1960s, with two young children at home, Jane earned her master of arts in teaching English at Yale University. She was a trailblazer, as in those days women were not yet accepted as undergraduates at Yale. In the mid-1980s, as her four children were progressing through high school, college, and graduate programs, Jane earned her PhD in English and American literature from Tufts University, where she successfully defended her thesis on “Poetic Identity in The New World: Anne Bradstreet, Emily Dickinson, and Derek Walcott.” Jane and Bob raised their family and a succession of well-loved dogs in Weston, Massachusetts, where she lived for 56 years. She enjoyed teaching at Bentley College, where she chaired the Gender Issues Committee and was a favorite with her students.

Jane and Bob purchased land in Lyme, New Hampshire, where they built with their own hands first one and then a second log cabin in the woods. The cabins were a place of respite where many books were read and days concluded with a cool swim at Post Pond then dinner in a restaurant. After their four children were launched, Jane and Bob traveled each year to places all around the world. Jane loved shrimp and chocolate ice cream and enjoyed both of these in her final days. 

Jane will be remembered and mourned with deep love and respect. The family gathered in her memory on July 27. She was buried naturally at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, where the beautiful trees and birds can remind her loved ones of those she and Bob enjoyed watching together out the window in Weston. 

—Submitted by the family.