Janet Herrick Stuczynski

Janet Lee Herrick Stuczynski, age 76, passed away October 9, 2025, in her hometown of Dansville NY. She was a 1967 graduate of Dansville Central Schools where she excelled in Band and Chorus. She was a Professor of Music and Choral Activities at Lakeland College, and the founding director of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus and Symphony Singers. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania's Mansfield University (Music Education/trumpet) and Texas Christian University (Voice Performance and IPedagogy) where she was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda.
Early in her career she taught choral music in the Williamsport Area School District (Pa.) and was the first recipient of the Exemplary Music Program Award from Music Educators National Conference (MENG). She was the author of Williamsport's Choral Curriculum which served as a model for numerous other districts. Her choirs appeared regularly at the Pennsylvania Music Educators conferences and, on two occasions, were selected to perform at the Eastern Division conventions of the American Choral Directors Association. She was also fortunate enough to perform with a choral group in front of the Pope.
Prof. Herrick came to Lakeland from Texas Christian University (Fort Worth), where she was director of the university's Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Interim Director of Choral Activities. In addition to her duties at TCU she served as Assistant Choirmaster at University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
She has conducted numerous music conferences and conventions in the Northeast and Texas and conducted the Lakeland College Concert Choir's performances at the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association conventions in 1996 and 1999. She is a frequent guest conductor for scholastic choruses and has prepared choruses for orchestras in Pennsylvania (Williamsport Symphony), Texas (Fort Worth Symphony), and Wisconsin (Sheboygan Symphony). On numerous occasions she has had the honor of conducting the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Herrick has performed in choruses and master classes conducted by Robert Shaw, Richard Miller, Robert Harris, Eduardo Mata, John Giordano, Helen Strassburger Boatwright, Ronald Shirey, and many others.
In 1991 she was named to Mansfield University's Music Alumni Honor Roll and was honored as Mansfield's Distinguished Educator of 1994. Ms. Herrick was a member of the American Choral Directors Association,
Music Educators National Conference, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In addition to her choral music duties at Lakeland she taught voice and conducted the college's Schilcutt Handbell Ensemble which performed with the SSO at the 2006 and 2008 Christmas Treasures concerts. She has also performed as section double bassist with the Sheboygan Symphony. Janet was also an accomplished seamstress and a proud Green Bay Packers fan.
She is survived by her husband Thomas Stuczynski, a stepson Eric (Sarah) Stuczynski, two sisters, Linda Hiler of Orlando, FL, and Rachel Seeley of Dansville, sister-in-law Marie Koutsouros and nieces Alisha (Brad) Martinsen of Charlotte, NC, Laura (Colin) Sick and Elizabeth Seeley of Dansville. She was predeceased by her parents William and Ruth (Harvey) Herrick, sister-in-law Joann Filing, and brother in-laws Kenneth Seeley and Neal Hiler.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday October 16, 2025, at 11am at St. Mary's Church in Dansville.
Interment will be in Greenlawn Cemetery Dansville NY. Ref. Hindle Funeral Home, Inc. 271 Main St., Dansville. Online memorials may be left at HindleFuneralHome.com.
In lieu of flowers please make memorials to the Dansville Central School Music Department, 337 Main St., Dansville NY 14437.