Thomas U. Jayne

Thomas Underwood Jayne, of Fairport, New York, passed away peacefully on June 22, 2025—one

day before his 80th birthday—after a life full of motion and meaning.

He had a sharp mind, a sideways smile, and a steady presence. He spent his life looking toward the horizon while building a legacy for his family.

Tom was born on June 23, 1945, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to Wilford and Joyce Jayne. He was the beloved older brother of Ronald Jayne. He graduated from Newark High School in 1963 and earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in art education from Buffalo State College.

He started teaching in the Fairport School District in 1967. During new-teacher orientation at Brooks Hill Elementary, he met Julia Shulenburg, a first-grade teacher. Tom claimed the single women drew straws for him. “Juli lost,” he liked to say. But she won a partner who would match her stride for 55 years—through marriage, children, grandchildren, and other unfinished masterpieces.

She dreamed of teaching young riders, and he backed her every step. He drove the tractor, mended the fences, and chased escape-artist ponies across muddy pastures. He grumbled about it all, of course—but he never stopped working toward their vision.

Tom served in Vietnam from 1969–1970, then spent over two decades in the Army Reserve with the 98th Division in Batavia, NY. He was honorably discharged and later recognized as 100% disabled due to service-related injuries. He wouldn’t let that stop him from moving. He was happiest in motion—on the road, on the water, or in the sky.

He taught every grade before retiring in 2001. His classroom was a place where kids felt seen. Once, when someone asked what he did with students who weren’t “good” at art, he said, “Then I teach them to appreciate it.” And he did.

Tom loved machines—planes, boats, antique cars—but more than the machinery, he loved the promise inside them: that if we keep our hands busy and our eyes on the horizon, we can create something that will outlast us.

Predeceased by his wife Julia, his parents, niece Kristin Vanderwege, and son-in-law William T. Durham, Tom is survived by his brother Ronald Jayne; children Tierney (Andrew) McKee, Michael Jayne (partner Amy), and Mary Durham; niece Jennifer Jayne; grandchildren Colin McKee and Dylan Jayne; and grand-nieces Ashley and Azraela; and grand-nephews Zak and Connor.

Now Tom moves toward the horizon one last time—engine humming, sky wide, water calm. He’ll be watching over us, just where the world begins to open.

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