Janet Ellen MacFarlane (née Burke), formerly of Montclair, died on Saturday morning, Jan. 19, 2019 following a brief illness.
Mrs. MacFarlane 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 was home for decades, but Mrs. MacFarlane moved to Montclair in 2005.
Mrs. MacFarlane enjoyed gardening, reading, art museums, crosswords and scrabble.
Until her later years she was always a resource for spelling and punctuation queries. Her creative explorations led her to draw, make collages and write poetry.. She always had a much-loved pet feline and cared for cats, 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 is survived by her children Beth (Bill Nigh), Joan (Paul Siegel), Susan (Paul Beckmann), Kurt (Elva Correa) and Laurie (Ruben Ornelas); grandchildren Cielo, Katy, Charles, Molly and Shaun; great-grandchildren Cora Lee and Gianna; nieces and nephews, and life-long friend Kurt Wissbrun.
A memorial will be held at Martin’s Home for Service, 48 Elm St., Montclair at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2. Her ashes will repose at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, R.I. with her family.