Mary Jane Kaelin with Dick Clark

Mary Jane Kaelin, née Ragen, lived with her heart and faith guiding her every step. She was surrounded by family and friends who will carry on her light in all that they do. She entered the next life on July 16, 2024, in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania.

Her three children, Roland Thomas, Seth, and Kelly, will remember her gentle and kind nature, her fierce love and generosity, her tenacious spirit, and her effervescent humor. Her laugh could crack the most hardened of smiles. 

Her daughters-in-law, Meg and Elizabeth, know that she cherished their presence, and felt blessed that her sons found partners on this journey. Her grandchildren, Gabby, Felicity, Fiona, Gavin, and Annette, will be reminded every day how much their grandmother loved them, how she wished to see them always. In their very lives, she lives on—through their eyes, through their actions, and in their hearts.

She grew up in Gloucester City, New Jersey, and attended Gloucester Catholic High School. There, she found pleasure on the court playing basketball, but less so on the daily walk to school, which she made regardless of the weather. 

Her fondest memories included spending quality time with her parents, driving with her dad, and taking the bus to Philadelphia with her mom to shop. Her home was always open to extended family and friends, and she carried on the tradition of a welcoming, open heart and home throughout her life.

Her career began as an Inspector with the Federal Drug Administration, and she retired from the Department on Aging in Gloucester County, New Jersey, where she worked with the Meals on Wheels program. An adventurer and traveler at heart, she was, above all, caring, ethical, and brave.

Her greatest joy in life was her family. With her journey to the next life, her family will uplift that joy every day so that she is never gone. She is at peace now with her parents, Mary and Thomas Ragen. 

We are not measured by the beginning and the end. The prologue and epilogue do not define us. We are all that exists in between.

We are the story. 

Hers was an epic adventure and an honor to have shared. Her ardent spirit held the power to move mountains in its quietude, and will never come upon the horizon of death. Her story, her power, her love live on. 

Perchance we meet again, in dreams and in the next life. The next when, the next where, the next why — the next great expanse of time.

Until we meet again, we hold dear the great truth that she cherished: even when we are apart, we are together.

We are each other’s home.

You are all colors, vibrant and clear. We see you still. You are in here. You are the smiles, the memories, the laughter, the sadness, the strength, the hopes, the dreams, the words in, of, and between. You are everything and everywhere, and most assuredly, you are in here. You are burning brighter, loving stronger, laughing louder, holding on tighter. With us. 

Our friend, our grandma, our mom.