JaneAnn (Layland) McNulty Munch, 79, passed away from ovarian cancer at her home in Port Townsend, WA, on May 6, 2024. She was a mom, a grandmother, a wife, a sister, a nurse, a commercial fisherman, an activist, and a fiercely loyal friend to many. She was caring and compassionate, honest and outspoken, and she enjoyed a life well lived.
She was born November 7, 1944 in Newark, NJ, the youngest of three daughters to the late Agnes and Norman Layland. Growing up in Newark, she attended St. Rose of Lima School and graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in 1962. After high school she attended St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Orange, NJ and became a registered nurse in 1964.
Over the next several years she established her nursing career, married and had two children, and in 1973 moved to Ketchikan, AK. In the early 1980s, she attended the University of Washington School of Nursing and became a licensed Family Nurse Practitioner. She worked first at the Ketchikan General Hospital and then many years at the Ketchikan Medical Clinic.
In 1986, she married Louie Munch, a teacher and commercial fisherman. Joining Louie aboard their gillnetter Sisu, she embraced her new role as chief deckhand and enjoyed many seasons fishing for salmon in Southeast Alaska. Louie has often said with pride that JaneAnn was the best shipmate and crewmember he ever had.
In 1991, JaneAnn and Louie moved to Port Townsend where she continued her nursing career working at Jefferson Healthcare before retiring in 2003. In retirement, they enjoyed RV camping at Mount Adams in Southwest Washington where they picked huckleberries, fished for trout, squashed as many mosquitoes as they could, and visited with friends. They also traveled throughout the U.S., Germany, and Ireland.
JaneAnn remained dedicated to her lifelong activism for women's rights and health issues. In 2017, she participated in the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. alongside her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, JaneAnn was predeceased by her sister Linda. She is survived by her husband, Louie; daughter Kathleen and her husband, Dave; son Michael and his wife, Lorraine; three grandchildren; sister Leah; and many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends too numerous to list but not forgotten.
Respectful of JaneAnn’s wishes, no memorial service will be held. At her request, her family will scatter her ashes at sea near Ketchikan later this year. Memories of JaneAnn and condolences to the family may be posted to her online obituary on the Neptune Society website. Those who knew JaneAnn and wish to honor her memory are encouraged to make a donation to Planned Parenthood or the Humane Society of Jefferson County in her name.
