Mary Jane Canaan

Mary Jane Canaan (1938-2026) 

Mary Jane Canaan (née Starkey), 87, of Sacramento, CA, died on March 3, 2026, at UC Davis Hospital in Sacramento due to complications from a stroke.

 Born in Brooklyn, NY, on August 19, 1938, to John and Agnes Starkey, Mary graduated from Mount Saint Agnes College in Baltimore, MD, and taught grammar school in Baltimore before marrying Richard Canaan in 1962. They welcomed their first son, Gareth, in 1963 and had three additional sons: Gavin, Benjamin and Jeremy. Mary and Richard lived in Jackson, MS, then moved to Albany, NY, Gallup, NM, New Orleans, LA, Atlanta, GA and back to New Orleans, LA, before settling in Sacramento, CA. Once her sons were older, Mary attended the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1980. Mary practiced law before retiring with Richard to Washington state in 2001, first living in Port Townsend, WA, and later in Port Angeles, WA, where they had a house on the water with a view of Puget Sound. In 2021, Mary and Richard returned to Sacramento, CA, to be closer to family.

 Mary was preceded in death by her father, Hon. John Starkey; her mother, Agnes Starkey; her brother, Richard Starkey; her sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Starkey and Suzanne Lawrence-Starkey; and her grandson, Noel Canaan. Mary is survived by her husband Dr. Richard Canaan, brother Hon. James Starkey, son Gareth Canaan, daughter-in-law Jane Anderson, son Gavin Canaan, daughter-in-law Lisa Howard, son Benjamin Canaan, son Jeremy Canaan, grandsons Jackson Canaan, Roman Canaan, Tristan Canaan, and Isaac Anderson.

 A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, March 27, at East Lawn Memorial Park, 4300 Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, with burial to follow.