Jane Rae Hawley

Jane R. Hawley, 74, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Friday, June 26, 2026, at Harmony House in Cedar Rapids, from complications of cancer. Private family services and burial have taken place. Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Marion is assisting the family.

Jane was born on March 27, 1952, in Waverly, Iowa to Angela Baker Grube. She was later adopted by Ernest and Thelma (Miller) Ashdown. Jane was a graduate of North High School in Des Moines, Iowa, and went on to earn her bachelor’s in business from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. On June 12, 1999, Jane was united in marriage to Harry Hawley at a farm in Urbana, Iowa.

Jane dedicated her career to many public service roles including Welfare to Work, Unemployment Fact Finder, Promise Jobs, and Offender Employment Specialist for the Department of Corrections, until her retirement in 2017. She took an interest in cars and participated in several clubs, Hudson-Essex-Terraplan Car Club, Ford V-8 Club, and Nash Club. She also served as president of the Antique Automotive Club of America (AACA) for two years. Jane will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Jane is survived and lovingly remembered by her children, Saundra (Bill) Dygert, and Michael Pettijohn; stepdaughters, Michele (Alfredo) Ricardo and Tammy Ryan; grandchildren, Sara (Trevor) Northrup, Alyssa Dygert, Natalie Pettijohn, and Jessica Pettijohn; step-grandchildren, Brian (Katelyn) Hawley, Chris (Megan) Hawley, Travis Ryan, and Camila Ricardo; step-great-grandchildren, Pierce, Everett, and Kennedy Hawley; and siblings, Gerry (Marcia) Ashdown and Beverly Grube.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Harry; son, Christopher Pettijohn; stepson, Charles Hawley; and biological mother, Angela Baker Grube.