Mary Jane Swenarton, 85, passed away peacefully on April 17, 2026, at Morristown Medical Center.

Born on February 1, 1941, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Mary Jane was the daughter of the late Carl and Jane Amelia Kuhlthau Schickner. She grew up in Milltown and later made her home in Summit, where she raised her family. Twenty years ago, she moved to Bedminster, where she spent the remainder of her life.

Mary Jane was a gifted artist and proud graduate of the Newark School of Art, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in fine Art. She devoted much of her professional life to commercial art, often working alongside her husband Gordon as creative partners, creating brochures, pamphlets, and advertisements, with a particular focus in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Their partnership continued at home, where they supported one another’s creative work and shared a lifelong appreciation for art and design. She took great pride in her work and brought both creativity and elegance to everything she produced.

She was also deeply proud of her heritage as a fifth-generation Kuhlthau, a family recognized as among the founders of Milltown, New Jersey. Family history and tradition were important to her, and she carried that pride throughout her life.

Outside of her career, Mary Jane’s greatest joy was collecting antiques and using them to create warm, beautiful homes. Her family will always remember the care and perfection with which she decorated each of her homes, filling them with charm, character, and her own unmistakable sense of style. She also found great enjoyment in gardening. Above all else, Mary Jane was an incredibly giving and loving person, always putting others before herself. Her kindness, generosity, and selflessness will be remembered by all who knew and loved her.

Mary Jane was predeceased by her beloved husband, Gordon Fiske Swenarton; her cherished grandson, William Gordon Swenarton; and by her parents, Carl and Jane Amelia Kuhlthau Schickner.

She is survived by her loving daughters, Nancy Jane Haws and Anne Elizabeth Swenarton; her cherished grandchildren, Taylor John Haws and Dylan James Haws; her treasured great-grandson, Nikolas William Swenarton; her loving sister, Barbara Anne Marsden; her favorite niece, Whitney Jane Marsden; as well as a host of extended family members and dear friends.

Cremation services were held privately.