Obituary of Jane Davis Sine

 Margaret Jane I. Davis Sine passed away peacefully at age 90 on November 10, 2023 on Hilton Head Island, SC.

  Jane lived a life of music, learning, teaching, and sharing her infectious love of the arts with all around her throughout her life. The daughter of Elliot R. Ingram and Margaret Harris Ingram, she discovered joy in music as a young high school student in Meadville, PA. There she learned to play the double bass and spent several summers studying at the prestigious Chautauqua School of Music. Jane attended Smith College (class of ’55) where she studied Music, history, and English literature. She maintained a lifelong love of Smith College, regularly attending reunions and connecting with fellow alumnae. Jane was a champion debater in college and put this talent to good use all throughout her life. 

   Jane’s first marriage was to the late Curtis V. Titus and they settled in Sandy Hook, CT and raised three children. It was there where Jane began her teaching career, first teaching dance and then music.  She also directed church choirs and played the organ for churches in the Danbury, CT area during those early years as well as working as a substitute teacher in Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

   Jane later earned an MA in Music Education from Western Connecticut State College and shortly after began a successful career as a popular middle school music teacher, teaching string instruments in the Fairfield, CT public school system from mid-1970’s until her retirement in the early 1990s. During this time Jane enjoyed regularly attending summer concerts at Tanglewood and performances in NY City, especially the New York Symphony and the NY Metropolitan Opera throughout her life. 

   Jane spent four years living in South America in the early 1970s with her then husband, the late John J. Davis, living in Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She enthusiastically embraced living abroad, immersing herself in the new environment, learning Spanish and engaging with the classical music scene in both cities. She and John were private pilots, and they flew all throughout Argentina in a single engine plane enjoying the beauty of the country. The return of Juan Perón forced the family to leave, with Jane and John bravely flying across the Andes and up the western coast of South America through Central American and Mexico to return to the United States. Their amazing experiences were captured in a brief article entitled “The Co-Pilot was Crying” for the AOPA newsletter. Jane never lost her love of flying and talked about those times with great fondness. 

    Jane met and then married Philip Sine in the late 1990s and together they shared their love of teaching, serving as instructors in LifeLong Learning programs in Waterbury, CT, New York City, NY, and Hilton Head Island, SC for almost two decades after retirement. Her popular classes were a synthesis of musical insights, stories of the life of a composer(s), from Mozart to Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, and their historical time periods. Jane’s presentations were quite dynamic, and one never knew when she would break out into song to highlight a musical passage or theme, much to the delight of her many students. She resumed playing the double bass in her later years, participating in summer workshops and master classes. Her ongoing musical interests led Jane to a second career as a music agent, representing the legendary double bassist Gary Karr, the conductor Apo Hsu, flautist Bonita Boyd, and the Guarneri Trio Prague, among others. She greatly enjoyed participating in numerous musical events and helping musicians develop their careers. Jane also served on the board of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra from 2008-2014, supporting the Orchestra as well as the Hilton Head Youth Orchestra throughout those years. In her spare time, Jane and Phil enjoyed cruising the world together over the years, visiting Iceland, many parts of Europe and sailing all around South America. 

       Jane is survived by her most beloved husband Philip Sine of New York City, NY, and Hilton Head Island, SC, her partner in teaching, learning, and living a happy, full life. She is also survived by her three children and their spouses, Curtis E. Titus and wife Vivian Titus, Margaret A. Titus and husband Gaku Ashiba, Pamela J. Titus-Boyd and husband Bradley Boyd; her treasured grandchildren, Sarah C. Titus, Conner Boyd, and Emmett Boyd; and great-granddaughter Lila Jane Prasad. She also leaves behind her stepchildren, Su Gilmour, Chris Martin, Arthur Sine, and Stephanie Sine.

    In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation or the Audubon Society in Jane’s memory.