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Janet Abelson Obituary
August 6, 1946 - January 26, 2023
Janet Abelson, longtime El Cerrito resident, passed away peacefully on January 26, 2023. Born in Champaign, Illinois to Gene and Isabelle (Lewis) Hubble, her family lineage included ties to Edwin Hubble and Meriwether Lewis. She was raised in Southern Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona and moved to California to attend UC Berkeley, where she participated in the Free Speech Movement. Janet graduated with a BA in English from San Francisco State University and was also one of the first women to earn an MBA there. A pioneer as a woman in data processing, she worked as a systems analyst at UC Berkeley until the mid 1980s.
A proud and passionate advocate, much of Janet's life was devoted to public service. She was elected to the El Cerrito City Council in 1999 and served for 23 years, including a record five terms as mayor. She deeply loved her community and was a champion of disability access, public transit, environmental sustainability, smart urban planning, and education. She gave time to many organizations, including the West Contra Costa Transportation Authority, League of California Cities, El Cerrito Democratic Club, Soroptimist International, El Cerrito High School Archiving Committee, League of Women Voters, Metropolitan Transit Commission, BART, AC Transit, Contra Costa Community College Foundation, and PTA from the school to state level. She even served as a delegate to both Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Janet is survived by her husband Howard, and sisters Linda (Mike) and Susan (Richard). She loved her children Rachel (Chris), Joel (Cristina), Ruthie, Miriam (Shelley), and Sarah (Brendan), and grandchildren Sophia, Marcos, Brett, and Hailey, niece and nephews, and many furry family members. She will be missed by family, friends, colleagues, and all who saw her zooming around town.
A celebration of her life will be held on 2/25/23 at 1pm at the El Cerrito Community Center. Donations in her memory can be made to the Contra Costa College Fund, Soroptimist International of El Cerrito, or League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa County.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Janet Abelson
Sponsored by Sunset View Cemetery & Mortuary - El Cerrito.
Marge Atkinson, former Albany Mayor
February 26, 2023
Janet and I shared a room at Democratic State conventions and I was proud to be a friend of such a dedicated public servant. Her accomplishments are awe-inspiring. I will miss seeing her speeding home in her wheelchair from BART and regularly at Fat Apple's.
Laura Hoffmeister, Mayor City of Concord
February 25, 2023
Janet was a great resource regarding accessibility for me and a passionate and knowledgeable advocate for this and so
Many more issues in areas in the region and in her beloved city of
El Cerrito, although she is gone and will be greatly missed, her contributions remain- it was an honor and privilege to have known her and work with her and be a fellow elected official- Mayor Laura Hoffmeister, City of Concord
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Byron Toma
February 20, 2023
I knew Janet from her many years of dedicated service on the BART Accessibility Task Force as well as on the BART Transit Security Advisory Committee. As an attorney for those bodies, I thought her experience as a public official contributed greatly to the success of BART's advisory bodies. She had great insight into the problems of government, what the public needed, and was a true force on those bodies. Her dedication to public service will be missed. Thank you for your many years of service to BART. -- Byron Toma, Senior Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, SFBARTD
Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto
February 11, 2023
Janet told me,"El Cerrito is the center of the universe". Somehow, I think she was right. It is the center of the universe for us. Let´s continue to make El Cerrito the best place it can be. Janet would want us to do so.
Lori and Thomas Breunig
February 11, 2023
Janet was a force in the schools, in the city, and in the community. She was our neighbor for 25 years and she will be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences to the entire family.
Sending hugs,
Lori and Thomas Breunig
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Sunset View Cemetery & Mortuary - El Cerrito101 Colusa Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530
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