FAIRHAVEN — Jane ( Shearer) Harrop, 79, of Fairhaven and formerly of Dartmouth, passed away June 20, 2015, at her home. She was the wife of the late William H. Harrop III.
Born in Pittsburg, Pa., daughter of the late Robert G. and Anita V. (Carney) Shearer, she grew up in Pasadena, California and spent most of her adult life in Dartmouth before moving to Fairhaven 7 years ago.
Jane graduated from Pasadena City College High School and then earned her BA in History from Pamona College in 1957. She then came east to study at Katharine Gibbs School in Boston, meeting her future husband and settling in the area.
She spent several years as a substitute teacher in special needs for area school systems while her children were growing up. Later she was employed at Brown University conducting research studies involving drug and alcohol abuse, then worked for the Research Triangle Institute conducting U.S. Public Health Service surveys on health and drug use until retiring last year.
Jane was an avid sports fan, especially fond of baseball and the Pittsburg Pirates. In 2011 she was honored by the Pirates as a longtime fan, attending a game in the Pirates President's luxury suite with family members.
For many years she was a volunteer for the National Park Service Visitor Center in New Bedford and was one of the original group trained to give walking tours in the New Bedford Historic District.
A patron of the New Bedford Assembly Association as well as a debutant advisor, she was a member of the Editorial Board of The Standard-Times, the College Club of New Bedford, the Yellow Circle, and the New Bedford Yacht Club. She was also a Cub Scout Den Mother and Brownie and Girl Scout Leader.
Survivors are her son William and his wife Cathy of Walpole, her daughter Nina Middleton and her husband John of Mattapoisett, four grandchildren - Cency Middleton, Will Harrop, Jenna Harrop and Delaney Harrop.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 27th at 1 p.m. in St. Gabriel's Church in Marion, followed by a reception in the church hall.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in her honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, tribute account #38452622, Dep. #142, P.O. Box 1000, Memphis, TN 38148-0142