Janet Fromhold

1942 - 2021

Janet Fromhold
Janet Marie (Seaman) Fromhold died Sunday, April 18, 2021 on a beautiful Spring day in her own bed at Eastview at Middlebury Memory Care in Middlebury, Vermont with her loving caregivers by her bedside. She was 78 years old and had been dealing with Alzheimer's for a number of years. Although her death was sudden, her dementia had worsened considerably and we are grateful that her passing was easy for her. Janet leaves behind her daughter Karen Fromhold, her wife Jeanne Comouche and their son Aiden of Ferrisburgh, Vermont, her son Mark and Lisa Fromhold and their daughter Kayla of Redmond, Washington and her son David Fromhold. She also leaves her older brother Ronald Seaman of Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her husband of over 50 years, George B. Fromhold who died in 2017.
Janet was born October 23,1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Charles and Cleora Seaman. She graduated from DePauw University in 1964 with a degree in history and was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. A highlight of her college years was a semester in Freiburg, Germany and she maintained lifelong friendships from this time. Later in life, she returned to school at Michigan State University and graduated in 1986 with a masters degree in Social Work, all while juggling dual demands of parenting.
Following completion of her MSW, she worked for the next decade at an inpatient psychiatric unit in a local hospital where she developed an interest in serving patients dealing with pain and trauma. For a number of years she was honored to serve on the faculty at the Smith College Social Work summer program. She later spent many years in her own private practice providing counseling support. Her work was deeply meaningful to her.
Janet and George knew each other as they were growing up, began dating in high school, both attended DePauw University and were married June 19, 1965 at Kennedy Heights Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. They settled in Midland, Michigan where they raised their family and built a life together. They were active members of Memorial Presbyterian Church for many years. Later they built a retirement home on Sanford Lake and enjoyed many years of boating and beautiful sunsets on the lake. They delighted in their family and enjoyed many gatherings over the years, including a 50th wedding celebration with the whole family at Mackinac Island, Michigan. They travelled together extensively including sailing in the Caribbean (and getting shipwrecked in a storm!), a safari in East Africa, rafting the Grand Canyon, cruises in Alaska, travel to Hong Kong, China, Panama, Europe and the Galapagos Islands.
Jan loved being a grandmother. She took great joy in her granddaughter Kayla and made special efforts to visit her frequently in Seattle as she was growing up. She was so proud of the young woman Kayla has become and as Kayla graduates from high school this Spring and prepares to study Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, her spirit is sure to be smiling.
Jan loved theatre, music, art, the symphony, and had a deep spirituality that was central to her life. As an extension of this, she found Tai Ji (Chi) dance with her teacher Chungliang Al Huang which brought her great joy. She and George travelled to Gold Beach, Oregon and Urbana, Illinois to practice Tai Ji with Chungliang and the Living Tao community. In recent years, her daughter Karen was able to join her for a Tai Ji workshop in Urbana. And despite advancing dementia, she was able to connect with this community via zoom over the past year. A true gift.
The last chapter of her life, Jan moved to Eastview, a senior community in Middlebury, Vermont to be closer to Karen and her family. She engaged in the community, participated in numerous social events and enjoyed visits from family and friends. She enjoyed lots of time with Karen and her family, which allowed her to share many holiday celebrations and have "Grandma Jan" time with her young grandson, Aiden. Family trips to Florida were a special treat during this time and she was able to share experiences with Aiden visiting Legoland, playing on the beach and swimming in the pool. Both of her sons, her daughter-in-law and her beloved granddaughter Kayla made numerous trips to visit. Many friends also came to visit including childhood friends, numerous long-time college friends and her dear older brother from Colorado. She faithfully attended the Middlebury Congregational Church (virtually over the past year) and continued her ties with P.E.O. by becoming involved with the local chapter. A caregiver, Lisa Bessette, became a dear friend and spent special time with Jan singing, visiting, shopping, sharing lunches out, and this friendship brightened her days. As her dementia progressed, she was able to receive an increasing level of support at Eastview and eventually transitioned to the memory care neighborhood. She remained content, loved and well cared for to the end. We are grateful for the loving care she received at Eastview at Middlebury.
She is missed but we are glad her spirit is free. We imagine her dancing, singing and joyful. Gifts in her memory can be directed to the Midland Center for the Arts or your local hospice agency. Her family plans to hold a small memorial service in Vermont in the near future.