Janette Derby Beach

Canandaigua – Janette (Potter) Derby Beach, age 91, passed away peacefully, on Sunday, April 27, 2025, with her family by her side. Janette spent most of her life in Canandaigua, where she graduated from Canandaigua Academy. She worked various jobs, including years as a lab technician at Canandaigua Wine Company and as a bookkeeper for the Finger Lakes Heart Association. In later years, she worked in retail, concluding her career at Lord & Taylor in Eastview Mall, Victor.
In 1956, Janette married John Nathan Derby of Rushville. In 1980 she married her second husband, James V. Beach from Staten Island and they lived in Naples and East Bloomfield until his passing in 2008. A few years later she moved to Victor, her primary residence for the rest of her life.
She is survived by her loving children, Jill Derby and John (Karen) Derby; three grandchildren, Nicole Derby, Jordan Derby (Al Shaw) and Jacob Derby; two siblings, Leonard (Jerry) Potter and Carol Brownell; several nieces and nephews; and the Beach family. Janette was predeceased by her mother, Mildred (Clifton) Potter; father, John Raymond Potter; sister, Myrtle Chappell; and brothers, Richard, Leslie and Donald Potter.
Janette will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Friends may call Friday, May 16, from 4-6pm, at Johnson-Kennedy Funeral Home, Inc., 47 N. Main St., Canandaigua. Her funeral service will immediately follow the visitation at the funeral home. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Canandaigua. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or the Ontario County Humane Society, 2976 Co. Rd. 48, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Condolences may be offered at www.johnsonkennedy.com.