PORTLAND – On the morning of March 12, 2021, following a short bout with cancer, Jane Bachelder Morin of Portland peacefully passed away while undergoing treatment at Maine Medical Center. She was surrounded by immediate family in her final days, most notably her loving and devoted husband of fifty-four years, Gene, who faithfully remained at her bedside until she drew her final breath.

Jane Bachelder was born at Mercy Hospital in Portland on June 26, 1945. She grew up in Cape Elizabeth and attended South Portland High School where she met and fell in love with fellow classmate Eugene Donald Morin. Both continued their education together at the University of Maine at Orono, and married in 1967, not long after graduating from college.

After establishing permanent roots in Portland in 1972, Jane took on the most challenging life role any person could endeavor to undertake. She became a dedicated mother and homemaker, putting family and the needs and comforts of others above all else in life. Generous to a fault, and driven by a desire to bring happiness and attention to all those she loved and cared about, Jane was known for her endless stream of handwritten greeting cards, care packages, notes of thanks, and gifts bestowed upon countless friends and family members who were always first and foremost in her thoughts. Her love of texting and composing emails via computer or smartphone, only bolstered her desire to expand her social networks and spread joy however and wherever she could.

Jane was renowned for her passion for dogs, most notably black Labrador retrievers, three of which played an intricate and vital role in her life. Never far from her side, her dogs became her children, and something to mother and worry over when her two sons entered adulthood and ventured out into the world on their own. Her love for her dogs was well known, all encompassing, and a defining part of her overall identity for 36 years of her life.

In her later years, Jane developed a keen enthusiasm for scrapbooking, and discovered a fresh network of friends with which to share and nurture her newfound pastime. Rediscovering old photographs and recalling special events from earlier times, were two key factors that fueled her imagination and creative nature. That creativity blossomed into exquisitely handcrafted scrapbooks that lovingly detailed and chronicled all the special people and events in her life. Her scrapbook projects brought her much enjoyment, as did the friends and family members who shared and contributed to their creation.

Perhaps the greatest joy of Jane’s life was her two grandchildren, Will and Jack. She delighted at being a grandmother, and went out of her way to provide all the adoration, comfort, and support she could so that both her “boys” always felt loved, nurtured, and never unhappy or alone. Known simply as “Grandma,” Jane provided a sanctuary of cozy surroundings, delicious foods, and unending fun and games that made a trip to “Grandma’s house,” paradise for her grandchildren.

Always thinking of others, and seldom for herself, Jane’s reputation for generosity, compassion, and overall goodwill, can never be emphasized enough. She was loved and respected by countless numbers of those who knew her, and her memory will live on in the hearts and souls of her family and friends forever.

Jane is survived by her husband, Eugene Morin of Portland, her eldest son, Mark Morin of Ellsworth, her youngest son, Christopher Morin of Portland, her brother, Peter Bachelder, and sister-in-law, Katherine Bachelder, both of Ellsworth, her nephew, Peter Bachelder II of Casco, and her two grandchildren, William and Jack Morin of Ellsworth.

Family and friends are invited to attend a time of visitation on Friday, March 19, 2021 from 4-7 p.m., at the Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford Street, Portland. The funeral service will be Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 10 a.m., with a graveside service and internment to follow at Brooklawn Memorial Cemetery, 2002 Congress Street in Portland. For those unable to attend, the services can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/watch/jonesrichbarnes .

Please visit http://www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to view Jane’s tribute page and to sign her online guestbook.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jane’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society either locally or at http://www.cancer.org.

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