(Written by Jane's older brothers, David and Tim):

Jane Sherry was born in 1955 in Burlington, Vermont. Her family moved to Billings in 1960. She graduated from Billings West High School in 1973, and then from University of Montana, Missoula, majoring in History and French.  After graduation, Jane knew she wanted to be a teacher.  She was told – mistakenly - that teaching in the Peace Corps was an alternative path to a teaching certificate.  So Jane began a life-changing adventure and embarked on a two year Peace Corps stint in Morocco, where education was conducted in French and the locals spoke Arabic.  In addition to becoming fluent in Arabic, Jane honed her cooking skills in Morocco where she would peel individual almonds and chickpeas to make the perfect Moroccan chicken, no shortcuts for her. She would surprise others at the shared village ovens where she fired her homemade pizzas.  Her dinners at home for family and guests were legendary.  In Morocco she met her husband, Nouraddine, who returned with her to the US where they made a home for themselves and eventually welcomed two sons in Socorro, New Mexico.  Jane doted on her 2 boys, and when they were young, read to them extensively in the expressive style that made her a gifted teacher.  

Jane’s teaching specialty was ESL, English as a second language , and after she returned to the US, she devoted her life to working with young Native Americans, first in Lodge Grass, Montana and then in New Mexico.  Many of her students came from homes with neither newspapers nor books, and for many of them,  English is not their primary language, hence the need for ESL.  She was dedicated to her work and students and despite a challenging 120 mile daily drive, often in wintry conditions, Jane turned down a local teaching job, feeling she could not leave the students who depended upon her in Alamo NM without a teacher.

Jane passed away in 2003, survived by her husband and 2 sons, Alan and Kyle, and 3 siblings, Barbara, David and Tim.