Obituary

Our dear mother, mentor and friend, Mary Jayne Hallifax, age 96, moved on to her heavenly home to join family and friends on Jan. 4, 2025. Mary Jayne was born Jan. 3, 1929, in Marquette, Michigan, to Oliver and Margaret (Gaspar) Shampine. Mary Jayne spent her entire life in her hometown of Munising, attending Sacred Heart Grade School and graduating from William G. Mather High School in 1946 as valedictorian of her class, which she frequently reminded her children. Her membership on the committee for “The Torch,” the first yearbook published at Mather since the late 1920s, helped shape her history in becoming Alger County’s pictorial historian. When the yearbook staff was looking for someone to supply the candid photos, Lucille Buckley, the school secretary and avid photographer, sought out a student to help develop film and print pictures. This opportunity introduced Mom to the world of photography. From there, her family can hardly recall a day when Mom did not have a camera anchored around her neck.