SCARBOROUGH – Leah Jane Cusack passed away comfortably in her home April 26, 2021, a month after celebrating her 88th birthday.

Jane was a native to Scarborough, the daughter of J. Ross and Gertrude Sherwood. She married her high school sweetheart, Ralph L. Cusack, and enjoyed 70 years of marriage. Together, they raised two sons, Glenn and Andrew.

Jane and her husband purchased Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in 1981 and, with their sons, ran the speedway successfully for 40 years. She was the quiet, pivotal gear in the speedway’s operation, handling the administrative support details and acting as a valued sounding board on business decisions. She was a member of the speedway’s Hall of Fame.

Beech Ridge played a marquee roll in Jane’s life. She was born and raised in the Beech Ridge region of Scarborough before the speedway was even built: She attended grade school in the one-room Beech Ridge schoolhouse. When the speedway opened in 1949, she and Ralph were there as teenage boyfriend and girlfriend. Ralph would soon begin a driving career at the speedway and, as such, Jane would spend every race night in the grandstand cheering her husband and raising the boys. Following a 30-year racing career on the track, Ralph and Jane made the decision to purchase the speedway and would spend another 40 years operating “The Ridge”.

She enjoyed a lifetime of fulfilling friendships and family involvement. She was an avid and accomplished snowmobiler dating back to the early 1970s. She was the quintessential stay-at-home-mom and was great at it, mixing both home care and speedway business responsibilities successfully and tirelessly. And she was a four-time breast cancer survivor, facing the challenge with a quiet acceptance each time, and beating it all in the end.

Jane was predeceased by her husband Ralph in February. She is survived by her sons, daughter-in-law, Tara; grandsons Justin and Nicholas; great-grandsons Carson and Tanner; sister, Brenda Cole and husband Steven; along with more family and an extended family of lifelong friends.

Services will be private. So that all fans and friends may participate in commemorating their lives, a tribute event for Mr. and Mrs. Cusack will take place this summer at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and will be posted 10 days in advance through the speedway’s social media outlets and website.

Arrangements entrusted to Hobbs Funeral Home, Scarborough. Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers,

contributions in her name are welcome to the

North East Motor

Sports Museum

922 NH Route 106 N

Loudon, NH 03307

and the

Maine Vintage

Race Car Assoc.

6 Lookout Lane

Windham, ME 04062

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