Janet Rutherfoord Moncure

MONCURE, Janet Rutherfoord, 71, of Totomoi, Hanover County, Va., died on Sunday, November 1, 2020, following a long illness which she faced gracefully and with undampened spirits.

She was the daughter of Thomas Rutherfoord Moncure and Julia Claggett Moncure of Richmond. She is survived by two sisters, Julia Moncure Boysen (Bill) of Shelburne, Vt. and Clair Tinsley Moncure (Richard Jones) of Charlottesville. She is also survived by her loving nieces and nephew, Janet Moncure Boysen (partner, Robert Ryans) of Washington, D.C.; Catherine Rutherford Boysen (Jonathan Steitzer) of Phoenixville, Pa., William Rutherfoord Boysen of Boston, Mass., Julia Moncure Jones Mishler (Evan) of Richmond; and one great-nephew, Julian Nathaniel Boysen Steitzer.

Janet graduated from St. Catherine's School and Hollins College. She also earned a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was employed as a social worker and later started her own counseling practice.

Janet loved friends, family, history, animals and gardening. She was a champion of homeless dogs. Janet volunteered with Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation (AARF), Hanover Humane Society and Hickory Hill K-9 Rescue, helping thousands of dogs over her lifetime with compassion and dedication. An ardent supporter of historic preservation, she fought against unbridled development in Hanover County and elsewhere. She was a founding board member of the Rural Plains Foundation and a volunteer docent at the Shelton House. She also volunteered at Historic Polegreen Church and for the Democratic Party.

She was a longtime steward of her beloved Totomoi Farm where she lived for 45 years. Friends and family mention how much she loved working in her garden - she was a Master Gardener - and sitting on the porch at Totomoi. The quiet rural life belied an incisive intelligence. A humble person, it was said that she was often "the smartest person in the room without letting anyone know it." She was kind, generous and a supportive friend. She doted on her nieces and nephews. To be around Janet was to feel warmth and acceptance.

Services will be private. Donations in Janet's memory may be sent to the Rural Plains Foundation, P.O. Box 2754, Mechanicsville, Va. 23116 or to your local animal rescue group.