Beloved spouse, cherished sister, super Auntie, ministry leader, and the best friend you could ever have, Jane Elizabeth Heckles died on June 18, 2022 after a brief, intense struggle with pancreatic cancer. 

 

Jane was born on Friday the 13th in August of 1954 to Doris Evaline MacKay Heckles and William Robson Heckles, their second child to big brother Bill. Jane’s mom called Jane her lucky 13. During his boyhood, Jane’s dad had immigrated from England with his parents and a group of their friends. They all settled in the Westville section of New Haven, CT and built the close neighborhood network so vital for immigrants. “Janie” was adored in that community—not least by her British grandmother, for whom she was named. Jane was strongly influenced by her British heritage, all things MacKay, and a whole lot of Connecticut and New England sensibility. 

 

Jane met the love of her life, Kathleen Greider, in 1979. Brought together in Somerville, MA by a softball team called The ERA, they declared their love for one another in the cat food aisle of a grocery store in January of 1980. They first mothered two black cats named Lilith and K.C. Later, Jane and a black cavapoo named Neekah turned Kathleen into a dog person. Jane and Kathleen had 42 years of partnership and were married in 2008, as soon as the law allowed.

 

Jane’s life was grounded in many values, principles, and commitments. Chief among them has been faithfulness to family of blood and family of choice, special devotion to nieces and nephews, cultivation of longtime friends, and the necessity of competence and contributing to the good in the world. Jane found great pleasure in travel of all kinds, watching sports—especially her beloved Red Sox—and staying current with all things technological.

 

The foundations of Jane’s Christian identity, faith, and later professional life were laid at First Church of Christ Congregational in West Hartford, CT and Camp Yo Aunta on Lake Cobbosseecontee in Maine. Always a curious learner, she was a religion studies major at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA and received the M.Div. (1980) and D.Min. (1997) degrees from Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) in Newton Centre, MA. For her doctoral degree, Jane studied giving patterns in churches that declared themselves Open and Affirming to LGBTQi persons. She posited accurately that while churches that voted to become Open and Affirming might see an initial dip in financial support, ultimately the decision led to stronger giving and clearer sense of purpose for the congregation. 

 

Jane was ordained in the United Church of Christ (UCC) in 1980, in The Federated Church of Christ, UCC, of Brooklyn, CT, where she served her first call to ministry. Jane was soon called to serve the wider church, first at her alma mater, ANTS, as Director of Development (1981-1991). In those years, she helped double the amount of donor giving. She also served as adjunct faculty at ANTS (and later at Claremont School of Theology), teaching in the areas of stewardship and field education.

 

In 1991, Jane and Kathleen moved to California when Kathleen was called to serve as professor at Claremont School of Theology. Jane began her service to the Southern California Nevada Conference in 1992, first as Stewardship Minister and then as Co-Conference Minister. She was a bridge builder in multi-racial and multi-ethnic churches of the UCC and continued her justice work for the LGBTQI+ community, including service to Faith and Equality campaigns in California.

 

From 2009-2013, Jane’s ministry was in the national setting of the UCC, where she worked on financial and missional support for the denomination. Jane’s theological depth was demonstrated in a campaign called “Changing Lives: That’s Our Church’s Wider Mission,” which described the church’s mission to be continuing testament, extravagant welcome, and changing lives. She helped strengthen the financial ministries of Conferences of the UCC as well as local churches. Jane saw shifts in the landscape of ministry, including many churches considering closure. She was the chief author of a resource to help churches close their ministries faithfully, often by leaving a legacy financial gift. 

 

Feeling a pull again to local church ministry, in 2013 Jane began serving as Interim Pastor at University City United Church in San Diego, leading them through a successful pastoral search. Finally, having witnessed the burden and blessing of ordained ministry, she was recruited by the Pension Boards of the UCC to develop the Episcopal CREDO program for UCC clergy. CREDO offered a holistic approach to wellness—support for reflection on financial, spiritual, psychological, and vocational aspects of their lives, in a retreat-like setting of extravagant welcome and care. The program enriched the lives and ministries of over 250 clergy.

 

Throughout her life, Jane volunteered for a variety of causes and programs. Her most significant service was to Pilgrim Place, where in 1998 she became a member of the Board of Directors and eventually served as Chair. After she and Kathleen became residents at Pilgrim Place in 2016, Jane continued her years-long practice of helping out in the Food Court during Festival, lent her fundraising skills to benefit the Resident Health and Support Program, used her technological and communications skills to establish and maintain the online PP Post, and became a weaver of lovely placemats and scarves. 

 

Jane is survived by her spouse, Kathleen J. Greider, her brother William R. MacKay-Heckles and their families. A Celebration of Life will be held July 13, 2022 at 6 pm on Pilgrim Place’s Porter Circle. In lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of Jane are welcome to The Resident Health and Support Program at Pilgrim Place or to a charity of your choice.