Longtime resident, computer and nuclear engineer, loving mother
Jill McPhee. (Courtesy photo)
Jill M. (Kaufman) McPhee, 66, of Harvard, died peacefully on Friday afternoon, Jan. 8, 2021, at her residence in the Golden Pond Assisted Living facility in Hopkinton.
Jill was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 4, 1954, a daughter of the late Col. Lee S. and Belle (Schwartz) Kaufman, and grew up in France and Parsippany, New Jersey. In 1975, she earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, followed by a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During her career, Jill worked as a nuclear engineer at Brookhaven Laboratory, a computer engineer at Digital and Compaq, and a submarine sonar technician for the U.S. Navy.
A resident of Harvard for 40 years, Jill was known to her friends and family as a brilliant and quirky woman. She played the French horn in a community orchestra and ran the New York Marathon. Glamour magazine featured her as one of their “Outstanding Working Women” of 1979. At 4 feet 10 inches tall, her small stature hid her big personality. Jill enjoyed gardening, attending book club meetings, and watching classic movies. Most of all, she was a loving mother who devoted her life to spending time with her two children.
She leaves her daughter, Victoria B. McPhee of New York City; her son, James L. McPhee of Beverly; two sisters, Patricia Kaufman of Greece, and Teresa Kaufman of France; and her former husband James L. McPhee Jr. of Tabernash, Colorado.
A graveside service was held in Belle-vue Cemetery in Harvard. A memorial service will be held later in the year.
Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of the Harvard Council on Aging. Please make checks payable to Friends of the Harvard COA and mail to P.O. Box 474, Harvard, MA 01451.
A recording of Jill’s service may be found at my.gather.app/remember/jill-mcphee.
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