Jane Kathryn Rauch

It is with great sadness that our dear friend, Jane Kathryn Rauch, 92 years of age, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, April 6, 2026, after a brief bout of illness.

Born in St. Charles, Missouri, Jane attended high school at Sacred Heart Academy and went on to proudly graduate from Miss Hickey's School for Secretaries in St. Louis, Missouri. She used her new skills as an executive secretary at American Airlines and Spann Building Maintenance Company in St. Louis for many years before she headed west to San Diego in 1972. Supporting herself as a secretary for UCSD, SDG&E, the Naval Hospital, and the City of San Diego, Jane always made time for her favorite activities - hiking and dogs.

Always the independent woman, Jane trained and hiked most of trails throughout San Diego and Los Angeles Counties multiple times. She loved to travel, making trips as far away as Kenya and Nepal where she joined a group of climbers reaching the highest peaks. She lived her life on her own terms - worked as a ranch hand in Baja, volunteered on search & rescue missions and trail maintenance through the Sierra Club, was an active member of the San Diego Backpacking Club, worked at the Humane Society as an animal technician, trained and received her pilot's license, got a scuba diving certification, trained as an EMT, worked in a veterinary office and at Mt. Hope Cemetery, and more ... all while enjoying her garden, her trees, her books, her pink scooter and dented up old van, and especially loving the dogs in her life.

In her later years Jane could be found in her backyard, not too far from the airport, tending to her persimmon and cherimoya trees, advocating for her historic neighborhood, and identifying every airplane that flew overhead, by sight and schedule.

Jane's good sense of humor brought much laughter to many over the years, and she will be missed.

She is survived by her family in St. Louis, as well as her daughter, Jessica, and three grandchildren, Cleo, Ben and Davis, residing in the San Diego area. Any donations should be made to the San Diego Humane Society.