Jane Leslie Tyler Obituary

Jane Leslie Tyler

Charleston - Jane Leslie Tyler, beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and physician, drew her last breath on the morning of December 12, 2025, in the company of her children whom she loved with all her heart and soul. She fought a valiant and noble three-year battle against esophageal cancer in which she displayed the determination, resilience and courage that exemplified her life. Not once did she complain, succumb to bitterness or rail against the indiscriminate unfairness of her disease. She faced every challenge, including her long illness, with a quiet strength that left a lasting impression on everyone around her.

Jane was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 10, 1952, the first child of Richard Francis Tyler and Ann Crotty Tyler. She grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, graduating from Notre Dame Girls' High School as a State of Connecticut scholar. She continued her education at Georgetown University where she was in the second class of women to be admitted to its College of Arts and Sciences. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Jane enrolled at Georgetown's Medical School, one of just 24 women in a class of 191. Following graduation in 1978, she completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, which was the genesis of her long-standing love of Charleston.

After her residency, she began a two-year fellowship in Nuclear Medicine, spending the first year at Vanderbilt University before moving to Montreal to complete her advanced training at McGill University. Following the completion of her fellowship, she became an Assistant Professor at McGill and a staff physician in Nuclear Medicine at Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, with special interest and expertise in Position Emission Tomography (PET scanning) and research in cerebral blood flow and metabolism. Jane authored dozens of papers published in academic journals including the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the American Neurological Association Annals of Neurology, the Journal of Neurosurgery and The New England Journal of Medicine.

In 1988, she returned to Charleston and devoted herself to her most important work, raising a family. Her children were the center of her life, her greatest joy and she reveled in attending innumerable dance recitals, theater performances and swim meets.

Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Nuclear Medicine, Jane loved the practice of medicine as it combined several lifelong passions: science, continuous learning, problem solving, interaction with patients and the opportunity to help others.

In addition to professional and familial duties, Jane embraced being a Charlestonian with gusto and was active in the community, including the Charleston Library Society (Board Member, Secretary), the Preservation Society of Charleston (Board Member, President), the Poetry Society of South Carolina (Vice President), Mepkin Abbey (Fundraising) and The Tibetan Society of Charleston. In 2019, Jane joined Dragon Boat Charleston, a cancer survivorship organization, serving on the Needs Committee since 2022 and the Board since 2024. DBC offered her incredible camaraderie, clarity and direction, both on and off the water and Jane considered the love and support she received from the group truly life-saving.

Jane was predeceased by her parents. She leaves behind her heartbroken children: Suzanne Jane Worthington (Thibaut Boyrie), Cecelia Worthington, Ian Worthington and Aidan Worthington as well as her beloved grandchildren, Hugo and Nora Jane. Jane is also survived by her brother Richard, his wife Susan, and their sons Patrick and Andrew, and by her brother Christopher and his wife Kathleen, and their children Alex, Shea and Erin.

The family would like to thank the dedicated caregivers at Home Instead for their excellent care of Jane through the latter stages of her illness, particularly Morgan and Maggie.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Friday, December 19, 2025, at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, 1695 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd, Charleston, South Carolina.

Jane will be inurned in the columbarium at Mepkin Abbey in a private family service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jane's memory to one of the following organizations Jane was an advocate for: Dragon Boat Charleston, Mepkin Abbey, The Charleston Tibetan Society, The Preservation Society of Charleston, The Charleston Library Society (direct links are provided on the funeral home website).

Arrangements by James A. McAlister Funerals & Cremation.

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