Jane Marie Sutton

Jane Marie (Blanchard) Sutton May 27, 1944 – August 3, 2026 It is with sadness, love, and more than a few laughs through our tears that we announce the passing of Jane Marie (Blanchard) Sutton. Jane was born on May 27, 1944, in Campbellton, New Brunswick, a fact she would never willingly acknowledge. She was the daughter of Leo and Mary Blanchard and was raised in Dalhousie, NB, the town she loved and called home for 71 years. Dalhousie was also where she met the love of her life, Lester Sutton. High school sweethearts from the start, they built a great life together. She had Lester perfectly trained. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past November, a milestone that reflected a remarkable partnership spanning more than six decades. Lester passed away only seven months ago, and we find comfort in imagining that they have already found their way back to each other as she needs someone to get her a coffee or a glass of red wine with ice. Long before she became a teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Jane was a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. She was an outstanding athlete who loved the game. Her high school team captured the New Brunswick Provincial Championship, and Jane was named Most Valuable Player. She dreamed of following her brothers to St. Francis Xavier University, but her brothers, Jimmy and Gregory, had other plans and convinced her that Teacher's College in Fredericton was the better choice. While she may not have appreciated the advice at the time, she made the most of it. She played basketball for the college team and regularly helped her squad defeat larger schools, including UNB and Dalhousie University. After graduating, Jane spent one year teaching in Saint John before returning home to Dalhousie to marry Lester and begin the next chapter of her life. Teaching wasn't simply Jane's profession; it was her calling. Over a long and distinguished career, she taught at both Notre Dame School and L.E. Reinsborough School, teaching many different grade levels before ultimately finding her happy place in Grade 4, which was always her favourite. She was a wonderful teacher who expected her students to work hard, be prepared, and do their best. Former students remember her fondly, although some might admit she was demanding. As one former student (her daughter) can attest, Jane had high standards but great stickers. The greatest joy of Jane's life was her family. She leaves behind her daughter, Monica Foster, and her "awesome" son-in-law, Kevin Foster. When Monica and Kevin first got together, Jane gave the relationship about six months. Thankfully, she was spectacularly wrong. She was also a proud grandmother to Aidan Foster and Andrew Foster (Rebecca) and a great-grandmother to Charlie and Poppy. She was especially happy to have a great granddaughter to buy multitudes of cute dresses for. Jane was predeceased by her parents, Leo and Mary Blanchard; her beloved husband, Lester; her sister, Catherine Moore; her brothers, Tommy Blanchard and Gregory Blanchard, her nephews Liam Blanchard and Terry Moore and her niece Jennifer Creager. The Blanchard siblings had always departed this world in perfect order according to age, and Jane was more than a little irritated to discover she had broken the sequence. Anyone who knew her well will smile at the thought that one of her final complaints was that she passed away before her older brother Jimmy. She was, quite frankly, a little pissed off about it. The family would like to express sincere gratitude to the compassionate staff at Hospice Halifax. Your kindness, dignity, and exceptional care made Jane's final days peaceful and comfortable, and for that we will always be grateful. She felt like she was in a high-end hotel with excellent room service. A private burial will take place at a later date when Monica finds the perfect resting place for both her mom and dad; a task Jane would undoubtedly have strong opinions about. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honour Jane's memory are invited to make a donation to the St. Francis Xavier University Women's Basketball Program www.stfx.ca/give in recognition of her lifelong love of basketball and the university she always hoped to attend (but the rest of her family did). Jane will be remembered for her quick wit, competitive spirit, fierce loyalty, strong opinions, unwavering standards, love of family, dedication to teaching, and ability to make a lasting impact on everyone who knew her. She leaves behind generations of students, friends, and family members who are better because of her. And somewhere, we like to think, she's back with Lester, drinking a glass of red wine and ice cubes, still cheering for a basketball game, still handing out great stickers, and still cursing Jimmy because she wasn't supposed to go first.