Jane (née Gilbertson) McGuffin, 81, of Philadelphia, passed away on Thursday, June 2nd, 2022 with family at her side. She was the loving wife of Robert Michael (“Chuck”) McGuffin. The couple were childhood sweethearts and married in University Park, MD on August 25, 1962.
Jane was born in Washington, DC, on March 15, 1941 and was the eldest child of the late Warren H. and Evelyn L (née Sullivan) Gilbertson. She grew up in Prince Georges County, MD and Bristol, TN. Jane attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. Agnes Scott was dear to her heart, and she returned many times over the years to visit. She transferred to the University of Florida, Gainesville in 1961 to be with Chuck and graduated with a BA, MA in English.
She and Chuck moved to Philadelphia in 1964. In 1965, they lived and worked first in Copenhagen and then London. In 1966, they returned to the States and moved to New Haven, CT where their two daughters were born. In 1971, the family moved to Canterbury, England and stayed for two years. On returning, they settled in Center City where their son was later born.
Back in Philadelphia, Jane pursued an education in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. After receiving her PhD, she became a licensed psychologist. She first worked in a hospital setting at Misericordia Hospital in West Philadelphia. For 10 years she attended to and cared for people whose mental health and wellness are chronically underserved. In 1994, she founded Harmony Mental Health Services, a group practice for mental health services. Michael joined her to help run the practice in 2002 and together they have been helping people ever since. Jane never officially retired. She continued to see patients for as long as she was healthy.
All along the way, Jane was writing. She always wrote poetry. She published a collection of poems, Under the Radar, and a novel, The Treatment Team. For many years she also wrote songs and worked to record them. She produced an album of her songs titled What Do Women Want? under her own label, Songs for Singing.
She loved a sunbath, her cats, and in later life to feed the squirrels and birds on the deck of their home on Naudain Street. Always active, she ice skated, rode horses, and, in her 40s learned to ski. She was a lifelong swimmer: swimming laps at the university pool, the Lombard swim club, in lakes, and in the ocean. Everywhere she traveled, she found a pool.
In addition to her husband, Chuck, Jane is survived by a son Michael G McGuffin and his wife Angela of Philadelphia, two daughters, Allison McGuffin and her husband Anthony Accardi of Brooklyn, NY and Amy (née McGuffin) Foley of Brooklyn NY; seven grandchildren, Kevin Foley, Katie Foley, Wyatt Accardi, Quinn Accardi, Claire Foley, Adam McGuffin, and Terrence McGuffin, and her sister Kristina Gilbertson of Tacoma Park, MD. Jane is predeceased by her brother Warren Gilbertson, Jr.
A visitation will be held from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at Logan Videon Funeral Home, 2001 Sproul Rd, Broomall, PA 19008. A graveside service will be held at 11:15 AM on Wednesday June 8th at The Woodlands Cemetery, 4000 Woodland Ave Philadelphia, PA 19104.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Jane McGuffin to Astral Artists, 1500 Walnut St., Ste. 413, Philadelphia, PA 19102 or at their website www.astralartists.org.