Jane Elizabeth Bray

December 30, 1937 – September 18, 2026

Jane Elizabeth Bray, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, friend, quilter, gardener, cook, and lover of people, passed away peacefully on September 18, 2026, at the age of 88.

Jane was born on December 30, 1937, to Walter Aaron “Dixie Boy” Jordan and Flora Reichert Jordan. She spent her childhood in Wichita Falls, Texas, after her family moved there from Iowa, and graduated from Wichita Falls High School before attending the University of Texas, where she studied journalism.

Music was part of Jane’s life from the very beginning. Her father, Dixie Boy Jordan, was a well-known country musician and radio performer whose career took him from Mississippi to radio stations throughout the Midwest and Texas. As a young woman, Jane sang with her father on the radio, sometimes alongside her sister, Suzanne. The love of music, storytelling, and entertaining people that defined her father remained a part of Jane throughout her life.

Jane married Milford Hall around 1959 and raised three sons in Austin, Texas: Mitch Hall, Christopher (Diana) Hall, and Nathan (Wendy) Hall. Jane worked in journalism and editing and later for Texas Electric Cooperatives. After her first marriage ended, she moved to California, where she later met Donald Bray, the love of her life. They married on March 10, 1985.

Jane and Donald eventually returned to Austin, where she was happiest being close to family and the place she considered home. After Donald’s death, Jane moved to Olathe, Kansas, to be near her son Christopher. There, she built a new circle of friends and found a community that came to love her. In 2026, Jane converted to Catholicism, embracing her faith during the final chapter of her life.

Jane had a remarkable ability to find joy in ordinary things. She loved quilting and was a member of the Austin Area Quilt Guild. She loved gardening and plants, cooking for others, and spending time with friends and family. She enjoyed Mahjong, Rummikub Irish Music, good conversation, and—perhaps most of all—the simple pleasure of being with people she loved. She was also a woman who loved animals deeply. Her beloved dog, McTavish, and her cat, Séamas O’Reilly, were cherished members of her family.

Those who knew Jane will remember her smile. She loved people, and people felt that love. She had a warmth that made others feel welcome. She could find something to enjoy and someone to talk to almost anywhere. She was a devoted mother and a doting grandmother to her grandson, Aaron.

Jane's life was not without loss or difficulty, but she continued moving forward with the same independent spirit she inherited from her parents. She built a life through changing times, different places, marriages, careers, friendships, and homes. Through it all, she remained someone who valued connections to family, friends, creativity, and to the people around her.

Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Tilford Bray; her son, Mitch Hall; her sister, Suzanne Jordan Cranford; and her parents, Walter Aaron Jordan and Flora Reichert Jordan. Jane is survived by her sons, Christopher Hall, Nathan Hall, her grandson, Aaron Hall, her step grandchildren, David (Renee) and Eric (Katie)Cambell, Treva Campbell (Gavin Conner), and LeShawn (Christopher) Mathis along with several step-great-great grandchildren and great-great-great grandchildren plus the many friends and family members whose lives she touched.

Jane wanted to be with her people. She wanted to visit with them, laugh with them, make things for them, and share her life with them. And that is how she will be remembered: with a smile, surrounded by love, and forever a part of the lives of the people who were fortunate enough to know her.

Visitation will be held at McGilley & Frye Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 105 E. Loula Street, Olathe, KS 66061, US, on September 27, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

A Funeral Mass will take place at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 16000 W 143rd St, Olathe, KS 66062, US, on September 28, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.