Janet Foord

Janet Harris Foord

July 19, 1928 – April 29, 2025

Janet Harris Foord delighted in calling herself "feisty" in her lust for life, while wryly observing others may have occasionally used "other" words to describe her. Proud mother and friend to her twin sons Andrew and Barclay, devoted grandmother to Conrad and Lana, and above all passionate fellow traveler across the years and around the globe with husband John A. Foord, Janet was a lively, spirited presence among countless friends and circles she cultivated along her way. Her creativity and graciousness as gourmet cook and hostess for myriad festivities –from "high feast" occasions for many to intimate family gatherings – was the stuff of legends. Yet truth be told, her greatest guilty pleasure was for sure seeking out that one perfect hot dog!

An avid lifelong lover of books and old movies (as well as a card-shark at the bridge table!), Janet above all loved a good story. She was a generous listener, ever attentive and caring. Her family is privileged to share in this space highlights of Janet's own rich and multi-faceted story.

Born in the small town of St. Louis, Michigan, to Victor J. Harris and Kathleen Cummings Harris, Janet spent her early years together with older sister Joyce helping with the family commercial beekeeping business, later joined by younger brother Bill. A star performer throughout her student years, Janet fondly recalled serving with her best friend as safety patrol officers (wearing official capes!), charged with maintaining order when teachers were not present. Her Bachelor's degree in Bacteriology at Michigan State University was followed by a Master's in Virology and Public Health at University of Wisconsin – and marriage to John the very next day.

There followed more than 70 years of life together rooted in family, community and service. "Adventures" abroad began soon enough when Andrew and Barclay were 18 months old, and the family set up household in Bordeaux, France – the first in a series of European assignments spanning 12 years of John's career with Esso/ Exxon. Between later assignments in Germany, Italy (Milan and Rome), and Sweden, the family returned to "Windy Gables," their charming historic home in Chatham, NJ (with a magnificent 250-year-old maple gracing the front lawn) that ultimately served as home base for more than 50 years. A later Exxon tour took the family to Alaska as the boys began college.

Janet's first job was at the virology lab at CIBA in Summit, NJ, where she began her lifelong friendship with Lois Uhlman Knox. After starting her family, Janet became renowned and well-loved as a teacher of biology, genetics, and math at The Kent Place School in Summit over a 16-year career, capped by developing a grant-funded wellness program in The Oranges.

Retirement for both opened up the world for Janet and John to begin exploring in earnest, both on their own and in tandem with close frequent-travel companions-and in more recent years with the Morristown Sailing Club. Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Tonga, Trinidad, Tobago, Costa Rica, Venezuela, the Galapagos, Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Bhutan, Prague and Budapest, Morocco, "everywhere" in the Caribbean, even Cuba! Group adventures in later years were booked by longtime friend and fellow traveler Rita Kaehler, when she became a travel agent. Plus many, many more U.S and European destinations, including extended tours of southern France and northern Italy with friends Peter and Kathy Meier.

Time spent stateside was rich with passion for opera – as 30-year subscribers to the Met – as well as symphony and dance. Especially important to both, Janet and John were for many decades mainstays of the church now known as Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Summit. From creative chef and commander of the kitchen for all occasions, to "traffic director" for the church's epic garage sales, to chairing the board's endowment subcommittee, Janet was a force for good and a friend to all.

Beacon minister Rev Dr. Robin Tanner has given us kind permission to share a poem she wrote honoring Janet's decades of service to the church. We think "Janet's kitchen" is an apt metaphor for the open heart with which Janet invited dear ones and new friends alike into her life.

May the flavor-filled aromas and the spirited laughter

of your kitchen continue to be the heart of our community.

For you were the one who fed us

hungry volunteers from every corner

of boutique and hardwares, book nooks and better women's clothes,

Nourishing our spirits with operatic verse and longstanding friendship,

Cultivating partnerships in unlikely places,

Across language and culture and religion.

Let the enduring sparkle in your eyes,

and those who take up your mantle

not be hidden

But shine on.

Displaced from their Windy Gables home by condo encroachment, Janet and John hosted 16 more years of gatherings and celebrations at their next home (and pool!) in Boonton Township – where neighbor Geri Outwater became a treasured friend. Janet and John moved together eight years ago to Cedar Crest Senior Village in Pompton Plains, NJ, where both immersed themselves in the life of the community. We delight in the rumor that Janet in her final years came to be known fondly, by many a fellow resident, as the "the mayor of Cedar Crest."

All who knew Janet also knew that family was most important of all. In addition to John, she is survived by Andrew (and Laura); Barclay (and Daryl English); grandson Conrad; and granddaughter Lana (and Elvar Bjarkason).

Those who wish to honor Janet's memory are invited to direct donations to: The Kent Place School in Summit, NJ. (PLEASE, NO FLOWERS.)

A memorial reception for Janet will be held at Cedar Crest on Saturday, July 12 from 1 to 4 pm. RSVPs will be appreciated to assist us in planning. Please call Barclay Foord at 973-452-4548.