Jane M. Drass

In Loving Memory of Jane Marie Drass

Jane M. Drass (née Tomlinson), age 80, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2026, at her memory care residence at Santa Marta in Olathe, Kansas, surrounded by family and loved ones after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Jane was born on August 26, 1946, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Alma and Arthur Tomlinson. She was raised in the Altoona area and graduated from Bishop Guilfoyle High School. There she met her high school sweetheart, Robert "Bob" Drass II, beginning a love story that would span nearly six decades. Their 60th wedding anniversary would have been celebrated on October 15.

Over the course of her life, Jane lived in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Georgia, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Kansas, and South Carolina. Although she moved many times, she had a remarkable gift for creating a home wherever she went. More than a house, her home was always a place where family, friends, and neighbors felt welcomed, loved, and connected.

Family was at the center of everything Jane did. She was immensely proud of her children and grandchildren and never missed an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments or attend one of their events. She treasured family gatherings, holidays, traditions, sporting events, and the simple joy of being together. Her greatest happiness came from the people she loved.

Jane enjoyed a successful career of more than 25 years as a technical writer in the pharmaceutical industry. Though she never attended college herself, she firmly believed that education, curiosity, and determination could open any door. She taught her children that they could accomplish anything they set their minds to, and she modeled that lesson every day through her own actions.

Jane was one of the most capable and resourceful people anyone could know. If she wanted to learn something, she simply figured it out. She taught herself WordPerfect when computers were still a mystery to many people. She learned how to install tile, hang drywall, paint rooms, reupholster furniture, refinish cabinets, sew, garden, organize, and tackle countless home improvement projects. Most people looked at a project and asked who could do it for them. Jane looked at a project and asked, "How hard can it be?" More often than not, she succeeded.

In doing so, she gave her children one of life's greatest gifts: confidence in their own abilities. She taught them to be independent, determined, resilient, and never afraid to learn something new.

Following retirement, Jane and Bob spent thirteen wonderful years in Sun City near Bluffton, South Carolina. They enjoyed golf, friendships, travel, and coastal living. Jane especially loved traveling with Bob and close friends, taking cruises, exploring Europe, vacationing throughout the Caribbean, and creating memories around the world. Many of those memories continue today through the family timeshare that she and Bob passed down to future generations, providing yearly opportunities for the family to gather and create new memories together.

A devoted Catholic, Jane's faith guided her throughout her life. She rarely missed Mass, and her faith shaped how she treated others, how she viewed the world, and how she navigated both joyful and challenging seasons of life. It provided comfort, strength, and perspective throughout her journey.

Anyone who knew Jane likely remembers her smile, her kindness, and perhaps most memorably, her constant humming. For years she could often be heard humming "My Name Is McNamara" while gardening, painting, sewing, organizing, fixing something around the house, or simply going about her day. No one ever seemed to know exactly why that was what was stuck in her head, but it became one of the many qualities that made Jane unmistakably herself.

When Alzheimer's entered her life, her family gradually watched pieces of her memory fade. It was heartbreaking to see such an intelligent, capable, and independent woman struggle with things that had once come so naturally. Yet the disease never took away the most important parts of who she was. Even in the later stages of Alzheimer's, Jane's face would light up when family entered the room. She might not always remember names or relationships, but she knew they belonged to her. Her amazing smile remained. Her kindness remained. Most importantly, her love remained.

As her family often reflected, Alzheimer's sometimes created confusing and even humorous moments. Yet even when memories became uncertain, one thing always remained clear: her deep love and trust for Bob and the family she cherished.

Jane is survived by her loving husband, Robert (Bob) Drass II; her children, Robert (Rob) Drass III and wife Joy Drass, Dawn Dufield and husband Robert (Rob) Dufield, Beth Doolittle and husband Nathan (Nate) Doolittle, and Joseph (Joe) Drass; her grandchildren, Molly Drass, James (Jamie) Robert Drass, Taylor Dufield, Alison (Ali) Dufield, Eva Doolittle, Reid Doolittle, Brooks Doolittle, Greyson (Grey) Drass, Avery Jane Drass, and Conor Stephens; her siblings, Judith (Judy) Kawtoski and John (Jack) Tomlinson; and many extended family members and dear friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Alma Marie Tomlinson (1993) and Arthur Joseph Tomlinson (1980), and her beloved grandson, Jack Lloyd Doolittle (2011).

Jane's legacy lives on in the values she instilled in those she loved: faith, hard work, kindness, perseverance, self-reliance, and the belief that almost anything can be learned, fixed, built, or improved with enough determination.

Most of all, she will be remembered as the woman who loved her family with her whole heart. The woman who could fix almost anything. The woman who believed you could learn anything. The woman who traveled the world with her best friend and high school sweetheart. The woman whose smile could light up a room. The woman who hummed her way through life.

And every time her family tackles a project they have never done before, stubbornly refuses to quit, gathers, or hears a familiar tune being hummed, they will be reminded of Jane.

Her love remains. Her lessons remain. Her legacy remains.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jane's memory to the Alzheimer's Association or to organizations supporting Alzheimer's research

Rest in peace, Jane.

You are deeply loved and will be forever missed. ❤️

The Eulogy reading will begin at 10:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass celebrating the life of Jane Drass, which will be held at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Paul II Catholic Church, 18335 W 168th Ter, Olathe, KS 66062. Interment will follow the Mass.

The family warmly invites relatives and friends to continue celebrating Jane's life with refreshments, stories, laughter, photos, and videos at the home of Rob and Dawn Dufield, 17104 Stearns Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66221.

Jane loved bringing people together throughout her life, and the family would be honored to gather with all who wish to share memories of her.

To leave a special message for Jane's family or to share a memory of Jane, please visit the guestbook below.