Jane Russell Hubbarth

Jane Russell Hubbarth of Brighton Michigan was born on January 25th 1945.

Jane, born and raised in Detroit, was the second of five children. Growing up, she had a flare for fashion and loved dressing up in dresses and playing house with her dolls and with her friend, Elsie. By age eight, Jane learned how to use her mother’s sewing machine and started designing and making dresses for herself and her dolls. After losing her mother, Maxine, to a stroke at the delicate age of 14, Jane started to become more independent and got her first job as a babysitter. Upon graduating high school, Jane became a switchboard operator, and also used her sewing skills to become a seamstress at one of Detroit's auto-manufacturers. In 1976, she married Anthony Hubbarth. Together they started a family of their own and in 1979, their son, Jonathan, was born. In 1982, their family grew again with the birth of daughter, Alissa. Her family became the most important thing in Jane’s life and her two children became her most valued and protected treasures. Though it was frequently difficult, Jane used her enormous will and strength to do everything in her power to make sure her kids had a happy childhood. She always found ways of making simple things special and inexpensive treats, luxurious. One of her favorite things was to take the family camper to various campgrounds around Michigan and enjoy the peace, beauty, and splendor of nature. This ability to appreciate and enjoy the simple things in life is one of the greatest gifts Jane has given to her husband, children and grandchildren. Throughout her life, Jane pursued knowledge and personal growth. She was an avid advocate for Holistic Lifestyle and Medicine. She enjoyed learning from others through reading, lectures, and seminars. She used her considerable knowledge to help many people regain their physical well-being and enjoy fuller and healthier lives. Jane also gave back to the community by volunteering at La Casa Women’s Shelter and working with the Brighton Hospital’s Alcoholics Anonymous program.

Jane knew the importance of education and worked very hard to help her children earn their Bachelor degrees. In her mid-50s Jane went to college with her daughter, Alissa, to receive an Associates degree in Social Work. Being the oldest student in every one of her classes only encouraged her to work harder and share her wisdom with younger students. In 2005, she walked hand in hand with her daughter to receive their degrees together.

After her children left the family home, Jane spent time discovering the world. She traveled with Anthony, her sister, Karen and her son, Jonathan to New Zealand, Hawaii and Mexico, taking the opportunity to learn from local customs and cultures.

Jane became a Grandmother (Amma) in 2015 and instantly fall in love with her grandson, Grayson. She became Amma for a second time in 2017, when her granddaughter, Penelope, entered the world and stole her heart. She made numerous 17+ hour trips from Detroit to Jacksonville in order to help her daughter with the little ones and spend as much time with them as she possibly could. She enjoyed playing airplane with Grayson and Penelope along with morning yoga and dancing to her favorite songs.

Jane spent the last four months of her life in Jacksonville, Florida bravely fighting late-stage metastatic breast cancer. She was supported by the love and help of her family. True to her strength, Jane never gave up and never surrendered to the disease, fighting it to her last breath. Her love, bravery, strength and determination will always be an example for everyone who knew her.

Jane is survived by her husband, Anthony, siblings, Karen and Russell, her children, Jonathan and Alissa, and her grandchildren, Grayson and Penelope. She is preceded in Death by her siblings, Sandra & Timothy and parents, Maxine and Lawrence Shaub.