Jane Antley of West Chester PA, a beautiful and brilliant CPA died unexpectedly of an aggressive cancer on January 7, 2022 at the age of 57.  Her siblings and closest friends were with her.  Janie was a bright light in her family and her community.  She is mourned by everyone who knew her for being smart, stylish, passionate, kind, practical, ever cheerful, incredibly musically gifted, a devout Catholic and a huge lover of cats and dogs, particularly her rescue cat Angie and her King Charles Cavalier Spaniels, George and the late Archie Francis.

Jane was born in Dallas, TX on November 3, 1964 to Joel Bryant and Patricia Shaughnessy Antley.  She was the second of four children and is survived by her older brother Brian Brevard Antley of Hermosa Beach, CA, and her younger twin siblings, Liza Antley and Joseph Brewton Antley, of Yardley, PA and Glen Gardner, NJ, respectively.  In addition to her three siblings, she is survived by five nieces and nephews, Shane, Luke and Jessica Jane Antley of Hermosa Beach, CA; and June and Jack Antley of Pittsburgh, PA and Brooklyn, NY, respectively; as well as by her beloved Uncle David Kendall in Nashville, TN, and numerous devoted cousins.

Jane was predeceased by both of her parents as well as by her grandparents, George and Frances Antley, of Forest, Mississippi, and Joseph and Florence Murphy Shaughnessy of New York, NY; and by her beloved Aunts, Maggie Kendall (TN), Monica Hayden (NY) and Alison Brevard Antley (AZ); her beautiful cousin Barbara Antley-Yancy; and her Uncles, George (MS) and Gene Antley (PA).

Jane had many remarkable gifts, one most notable - a beautiful singing voice. That and her svelte, dark-haired good looks and flair for the dramatic, made her a natural choice to star in her many high school’s productions at Neshaminy Maple Point High School in Langhorne, PA.

She was also an honors student, and played viola in the Orchestra, and sang in the Choir.

Jane’s love of music continued into her college years at West Chester University where she first majored in Music History & Performance, until the ever practical Jane switched to Accounting - so she’d always have a job!  She graduated with honors in 1986, with 2 years of part-time employment at her first big CPA firm already under her belt through a college internship program.  Before graduating, she also enjoyed a short stint as a lead singer of a small rock band, singing Linda Ronstadt & Patty Smythe songs and the like to the college crowds at venues around town.

In 1991, Jane became a Certified Public Accountant.  She worked for a number of years for a larger accounting firm before spinning off her own self-owned accounting firm that specialized in representing individuals and small corporations.  Jane was much loved and respected by her many clients and will be missed.

Jane loved and lived her entire adult life in West Chester, PA.  She loved its people, its beauty, art, culture and events, and gave back to her community in every way she could.  She and her dogs knew everyone!  She was a member of Saint Agnes Parish and served as a CCD teacher there for 1st-graders for 18 years (1996-2014), as well as a Cantor at Mass for 10 years.  She loved animals and was a volunteer for the Forgotten Cats shelter in Willow Grove, PA, and a frequent foster mother of litters of kittens.

In her spare time, Jane enjoyed the beach, reading, writing, gardening, cooking and following politics.  She was passionate about all of them. She was a voracious reader and a talented writer. Like her father and brother, the third “J. Antley”, Jane, was a frequent by-line in op-eds in her local newspapers. Her garden was beautiful and was a consistent stop on the West Chester Garden Tours over the years.

During 2021, after participating in a successful citizen campaign to reduce a proposed 33% increase in West Chester real estate taxes, Jane became very engaged in the campaign for Mayor of West Chester. Jane’s talent for canvassing and speaking on behalf of her candidate, and talking about real issues and solutions, was widely recognized and, although their campaign was not ultimately successful, Jane looked forward to future civic involvement.

When asked by a cousin in 2020 if she had a plan to get to her polling place, Jane retorted, “It’s just across the street, and on my birthday! I think I may cartwheel there.”

Relatives and friends are invited to her visitation on Saturday, February 5, 2022 from 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm at St. Agnes Church 233 W. Gay St. West Chester, PA 19380, followed by her Funeral Mass at 1:00 pm. Live Streaming of her Funeral Mass will be available here: https://boxcast.tv/view/jane-antley-family-funeral-kyd5zybiwe2ibq3gmcge

The family requests that those wishing to honor the life of Jane Antley contribute to her favorite charity, Forgotten Cats (forgottencats.org), or to her house of worship, Saint Agnes Parish (saintagnesparish.org), of West Chester, PA to continue their good works in the community.  Flowers are also welcome – she loved them so! Jane would also encourage friends and family to become civic activists involved in local politics and community organizations and -- of course -- to cartwheel and SING when the spirit moves them.