The Rev. Jane N. Garrett, an editor with Alfred A. Knopf before and after her ordination as an Episcopal priest in 1981, died October 12 at 88. Among the books she edited, seven won Pulitzer Prizes. Her authors ranged from Karen Armstrong to Andrew Sullivan and Pope John Paul II to Bishop Walter Righter.
She was a native of Dover, Delaware. In her senior year of studying history at the University of Delaware, she married Wendell Garrett, who became known as a host of Antiques Roadshow on PBS.
She worked in the acquisitions department of the Boston Athenaeum library before joining Knopf in 1967. In her life as an Episcopal priest, Garrett was a soft-spoken advocate for LGBT Episcopalians.
Her path toward ordination began after her divorce in 1973. “She took a year’s sabbatical to work on a publishing project for adult new readers in Rhodesia, an experience she says radicalized her and turned her attention to social and political issues,” Richard Sandomir wrote for The New York Times.
The Pulitzer-winning books she edited included Founding Mothers & Fathers (1996), William Cooper’s Town (1996), and Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution (1997).
Garrett was humorous in describing her work with Knopf. “Since many of my authors are un-agented, many agents don’t know me,” she told The New York Times in 1996. “It’s amusing sometimes, because they’ll call me up and say, ‘Who are you, anyway, and why don’t I know you?’”
Sister Mary Grace Rom, former superior general of the Community of St. Mary, died October 19 at 103.
She was born Betty Bernice Rom in Milwaukee. Her father was a teacher and her mother was a homemaker. Her mother died on Betty’s 15th birthday. Her remaining youth was spent helping to raise her younger brother, Roy, who survives her, and her younger sisters Carol and Rita.
She was a graduate of Carthage College, and after teaching in high school for several years, she entered the Western Province of the Community of St. Mary in 1950. She made her life profession on October 2, 1952. In her early years in the convent, she taught science and home economics to junior-high students. Later, she became assistant novice mistress and then novice mistress.
Sister Mary Grace was elected Mother Superior of the Western Province of the Community of St. Mary in 1966 and served in that capacity until 1971. In 1971, the General Chapter of the Episcopal Community of St. Mary elected her as the seventh Reverend Mother Superior General. She spent time at each of the 10 houses of the Eastern and Western Provinces of the Community of St. Mary. In 1973, she was elected to serve on the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, and as presiding officer of the Conference on the Religious Life.
In her retirement years, she belonged to St. Matthias Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Ms. Allison Mary Twomey, beloved daughter of the Rev. Patrick and Catherine Twomey, died of respiratory failure on October 7 at 37. Fr. Twomey, retired rector of All Saints Church in Appleton, Wisconsin, has written Sunday’s Readings columns for TLC for more than a decade.
Allison was a native of Evanston, Illinois. She had many special needs, and she blessed those who loved and cared for her with her zest for life. She was a consummate wheelchair dancer, especially with her father as partner. She enjoyed an eclectic variety of music and developed dances inspired by the music of Motown.
She enjoyed typing on her computer, doing sorting jobs, baking, cooking, and making phone calls. Allison also enjoyed outings with her parents and attending church with her mother. Cathy consoled and comforted her daughter as no one else could by singing to her and holding her. Their shared happiness and compassion are an example of love in its purest form.
Allison’s sister, Hannah, died at age 15 in 2008 in a traffic accident.
Allison’s survivors, in addition to her parents, include a grandfather, six uncles, five aunts, and 18 cousins. Allison felt a deep love for her extended family, and she loved the many people who helped her: teachers, therapists, doctors, nurses, and caregivers. She had a delightful personality and a truly charming sense of humor. She will be missed and forever loved.
Other Deaths
