Jane Elledge Moriarty

Jane Elledge Moriarty, 76, passed away unexpectedly on November 20, 2024, in Wichita, KS. She was preceded in death by her mother, Martha Elledge, father, Artie Elledge, brother, John Elledge, and nephew, Shaun Elledge. Her absence will be felt most by those that she leaves behind. Jane is survived by her son, Todd (Nancy) Moriarty, Carrollton, TX; daughters, Shelli Moriarty (Heath) Elliott, Wichita, Mindy (Jason) Buehler, Highlands Ranch, CO; grandchildren, Matthew Moriarty, Alexis Elliott, Addison Buehler, Ian Moriarty, and Brenden Buehler. John Kimball, Wichita, was her life partner and was always by her side until the very end. Their adventures together over the past 16 years brought her immense joy and fulfillment. Born on October 13, 1948, in Stafford, KS, both Jane and her mother had twin brothers (both named John), which created a special “twin bond.” Jane spent her early years on the farm in western Kansas with her brother and sister attending elementary school in Macksville before moving to Hutchinson, KS, where she graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1966. She attended Hutch JUCO, where she married and had her first child, Todd. Her family became complete with the addition of two daughters, Shelli and Mindy. While growing her family, they lived in Hutchinson, Wichita, and Goddard. During the 1970s and 80s, she was a proud homemaker, and an amazing cook, working hard to create a fun and comfortable home for her family. She also spent her time playing rec volleyball and was actively involved in the Hutchinson Kansas Extension Homemaker Unit (EHU). As her children grew older, she began working outside the home as a special education paraeducator at Buhler, Maize, and Goddard school districts for over 20 years, and briefly at Boeing Wichita and Curves Fitness. Her patience, kindness, and acceptance made her the perfect support for children with special needs. She was immensely proud of her own children and said her greatest accomplishment in life was having three successful children. Jane lived a life that was frugal and simple, with the “little things” bringing her the most joy. She loved the Kansas City Chiefs, her calls from Matthew, jigsaw puzzles, K-State, being a Kansan, watching old comedies, being a breast cancer survivor, spoiling her grand-dog during their sleepovers, and collecting unique rocks from her many travels. Jane found joy in whimsical objects and loved buying goofy items that made her smile. For many years, she spent her time at the lake, hiking, and taking motorcycle rides. The best times were spent laughing and making memories with her many friends from Ski Club, Friday Night Group, her Goddard Para Ladies, the Camping Group, and with her best friend, Linnea Copeland. Jane’s “happy place” was wherever she was camping: sitting in front of the RV with drink in hand, enjoying the great outdoors. John and Jane spent over 600 nights RVing together throughout the United States recently checking off her bucket list by eating lobster in Maine. She enjoyed staying local, camping at Cheney, and hitting many of the state parks on an annual basis. In addition to RVing, Jane loved spending time with her family visiting Mindy’s place in Breckenridge or Todd’s lake house and Perdido Key. Family memories were also close to home with Shelli’s family, going to Alexis’ events, or just hanging out at the house. Jane traveled to 44 of the 50 states. To complete the last six, she recently booked an Alaskan cruise for this coming summer with John and her family. John was planning their next RV adventure so she would make it to four more of those last six states this coming year. Jane's memory will live on through the laughter and joy she brought to others. She loved being silly which was endearing to those who knew her best. They will never forget her smile, laughter, and Jane being “unapologetically Jane.” In her memory, spend today laughing and enjoying the simple things in life-realizing that it is okay to be a little bit goofy and not take yourself too seriously. Jane’s family invites friends to join them at Jane’s Celebration of Life on Thursday, December 19, 2024, from 3:00 pm-7:00 pm, at Villa Luna, 8406 West Central in Wichita. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jane’s memory to the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, (cacsckansas.org) 1211 S Emporia Ave, Wichita, KS 67211. Services through Downing & Lahey West Mortuary