Janet E MacFarlane

Janet Ellen MacFarlane (née Burke) passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, January 19, 2019 following a brief illness.

Janet was born in Providence, RI in 1927. She was the first in her family to be born in a hospital as well as the first to graduate from high school. She married Robert MacFarlane, Jr. in 1952. Together they raised their five children while living in Connecticut, Ontario Canada, Michigan and New Jersey. Fanwood, NJ was home for decades, but Janet moved to Montclair in 2005.

Janet was witty, well-read and tough as nails. She enjoyed gardening,  reading, art museums, crosswords and scrabble. Until her later years Janet was always a resource for spelling and punctuation queries. Her creative explorations led her to draw, make collages, and write poetry. Janet was most at ease outdoors breathing in the beauty of the natural world. She always had a much-loved and cared for pet cat, the last of whom was Salem. She loved seeing her grandchildren, and crossing paths with any babies, toddlers or young people filled her with delight and piqued her interest.  

She will be dearly missed by her children Beth (Bill Nigh), Joan (Paul Siegel), Susan (Paul Beckmann), Kurt (Elva Correa) and Laurie (Ruben Ornelas); as well as her grandchildren Cielo, Katy, Charles, Molly and Shaun; great-grandchildren Cora Lee and Gianna; her much loved nieces and nephews, and life-long friend Kurt Wissbrun.

A memorial will be held at Martin's Home for Service, 48 Elm Street, Montclair on Saturday, February 2 at 11:00 a.m. 

Her ashes will repose at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, RI with her family.

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