Obituary – Janet Grace (Anderson) Simmonds

Posted

November 23, 1934 – June 20, 2019

Born on November 23, 1934 to H. James and Florence (Gustafson) Anderson of Worcester, Massachusetts, Janet attended public schools in Worcester and Millbury, Massachusetts, graduating from Millbury High School in 1952.

She was employed at Sears, Roebuck in Worcester for the next eight years, during which time she rose to Manager of Catalog Sales.

On New Year’s Eve 1959, she met Robert Simmonds, formerly of Worcester, on a blind date, and they were married on October 15th 1960.

The new couple moved immediately to Topsfield, Massachusetts near where her husband was employed. They remained in the area of the North Shore of Massachusetts for the rest of their working lives – 14 years in Topsfield, and 25 in Boxford. In 1961 she worked in the Catalog Department of Sears, Roebuck in Saugus, Massachusetts until the birth of her first child in 1962. From then on she was a devoted parent and member of the volunteer community.

She and her husband were members of the Topsfield Congregational Church for 38 years.

As family careers began to require considerable business travel, she, and on occasion, all of the family came along. Her travel passion was fulfilled by the cultivation of friends in both England and Sweden.

After retirement in 1999, their summer home in Wolfeboro became their new base for travel and family life. There were river cruises in Europe and visits to Italy, North Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Antarctica.

She became an active member of the First Congregational Church, a member of its women’s group and the knitting ministry making many sailor caps, prayer shawls and baby items. She was also active in the Wolfeboro Historical Society and a social member of Bald Peak Colony Club. As well, they established a winter home in Point Roberts, Washington (a community near Vancouver, Canada) where daughter Susan’s family was located at the time. They were there for ten seasons, leaving in 2016.

She leaves her son Robert of Seabrook, daughter Susan Nonis of Hampton Falls, and daughter Carolyn Nenart of Atkinson, their respective spouses Cynthia, David and Jeffery and their respective children Kyle and wife Alyson, Nicholas and Catharine. She leaves a sister, Nancy Anderson of Sturbridge, Massachusetts and a brother David and wife Cheryl Anderson of Enfield, Connecticut, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her infant daughter Karen, her younger brother Paul, and a grandson, Christopher Simmonds. She also leaves cousins Donald Nelson of Worcester, Judith Gessner of Manchester, Betty-Joan Spiller of Burlington, Vermont, and Kenneth Anderson of Tequesta, Florida, as well as a circle of  friends from near and far.

Contributions in her memory may be sent to either the First Congregational Church in Wolfeboro, NH or the Trinity Community Church in Point Roberts, Washington.


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