Jane Frances (Brady) Sauer arrived on June 24, 1949, in Washington, D.C. to Roger and Phyllis Brady, Jane spent most of her childhood in Falls Church, Virginia, with one notable interruption when the family moved to Saipan in the Mariana Islands. While many people spend their lives dreaming of island living, Jane actually got to do it. She carried stories of those carefree days with her for the rest of her life, recalling them whenever life seemed a little too serious—which was often.

As the oldest of seven children, Jane naturally assumed the role of boss, advisor, supervisor, critic, and occasional babysitter. She spent decades proudly watching her siblings grow into remarkable adults while quietly maintaining the belief that their accomplishments were largely the result of her early management efforts. Any evidence to the contrary was politely ignored.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Roger and Phyllis, and her brothers Marty, Mike, and Steve. One can only imagine the reunion underway.

Jane attended St. James Elementary School and Bishop Denis O'Connell High School before continuing her education at Mary Washington and the Medical College of Virginia, where she became a physical therapist. Throughout her life, she cheerfully confessed that physical therapy was not exactly her life's calling. It was simply the profession that allowed her to earn a degree without having to learn a foreign language. Her true love was books. Libraries were her happy place. She adored the smell of old books, wandering through stacks with no particular destination, and running her fingers through card catalogs back when finding information required more effort than typing a question into a search bar.

Her career took her from Virginia to Memphis and eventually to Kissimmee, Florida. There she met Tom, the man wise enough to marry her and lucky enough to spend the next 52 years proving it was a good decision.

After the birth of their first daughter, Erika, Jane and Tom moved to New Albany, Indiana, Tom's hometown. There they welcomed their second daughter, Leslie, and spent the next twenty-five years raising a family, building a life, and accumulating the kind of stories that become funnier with every retelling.

In 2000, Jane and Tom began a new chapter in Magnolia Springs. Along the Magnolia River, Jane found what many people spend a lifetime searching for: a place that felt like home to her soul. She often said the river soothed, delighted, and enchanted her. It became "her river," the backdrop for family celebrations, milestones, and memories. Both daughters would marry kind and gentle men, and those happy occasions would be celebrated there. When Erika's son Thomas arrived, Jane immediately recognized him for what he was: a delight. It was one of her more accurate assessments.

Jane approached life much the same way she approached everything else—with determination, opinions, humor, and a firm belief that she knew the best way to get things done. In the end, even her passing was accomplished on her own terms. Those who loved her would tell you they wouldn't have expected anything less.

She leaves behind a family and friends who loved her deeply, laughed with her often, and will continue hearing her voice whenever they are tempted to do something that might not be to her exact liking.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Foley, Alabama, on July 10, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Interment will immediately follow under a perfectly positioned Oak tree in the churches cemetery. 10800 St. Johns Lane, Foley, AL 36535

A Celebration of Jane's life will be held at the Magnolia Springs Community Hall at 12:30 P.M. (across from Jesse's Restaurant 14775 Oak Street Magnolia Springs, AL 36555 parking behind hall). In lieu of tears, Jane would likely prefer family and friends to gather over good food and wine, share funny stories, laugh a little louder than is usually considered appropriate at a funeral, and remember a woman who never met an opinion she didn't express, a book she didn't want to read, or a family member she didn't lovingly spoil.

The family takes comfort in knowing that Jane's beloved Magnolia River still flows past the place that soothed her soul, and that the stories she leaves behind will continue to delight, enchant, and occasionally straighten out future generations for years to come. If you get the chance take a dip in the river for her.

If you simply must send something, Jane would direct you to make a donation to her beloved little country church, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Foley, Alabama. She'd appreciate that far more than flowers.  A gift to her church would make her smile—and if you knew Jane, making her smile was usually the safer option.