Katherine "Kay" Janssen

Katherine S. Janssen, 97, of Granby, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, December16, 2025. She was born in 1928 in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, to the late Paul Otto Keller and Elizabeth Deneke Keller. She attended Pittsfield High School, Pittsfield, Ma., and graduated in 1946.
Katherine married her sweetheart, William E. Blackburn, Jr., and together they raised four beautiful children to whom she devoted her life. William predeceased her in 1980. She later married Edzard W. Janssen, and together they shared many happy memories until his passing in 2015. Through their marriage, her family grew to include four wonderful stepchildren.
Katherine is survived by two of her beloved children, daughter Debra K. Wucik (Ed) of Vermont and her son Paul D. Blackburn (Lori) of Granby. She was the proud grandmother of sixteen grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sons Eric W. Blackburn, Sr and Scott E. Blackburn, Sr., as well as her sister Betty Cornell.
Katherine also leaves behind many cherished family and friends, including Carolyn Calhoun and the Red Hats, with whom she shared many joyful times and special memories. She loved sewing, gardening and swimming in the ocean; Cape Cod being a favorite.
A Celebration of Life will be held on January 15, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., at Hayes-Huling & Carmon Funeral Home, 364 Salmon Brook Street, Granby CT 06035. A reception will immediately follow at Kay's home, 33 Muriel Drive, Granby.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Katherine's memory to the Granby Senior Center or Granby Ambulance.