Janet Lundsgaard Helgert

03/24/1940 - 03/19/2026

Janet Lundsgaard Helgert of Washington, D.C., died peacefully on March 19, 2026. Janet was born in Aarhus, Denmark, and emigrated first to Canada in 1951 and then to the United States, settling in Rochester, New York, in 1954.

In 1958, she graduated from Monroe High School in Rochester, then graduated from State University of New York at Fredonia in 1962. She later received a Master of Arts in International Relations from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1982.

In 1963, she married Joe U. Posner of Rochester, a marriage that ended in divorce.

In 1968, she married Hermann Helgert and they moved from Buffalo, New York, to South Carolina, to Maryland, and finally settled in Washington, D.C.

Janet began her teaching career in upstate New York and later taught locally at Washington International School and other institutions. After retiring from teaching, she served as a docent at the Library of Congress and the Cosmos Club, as well as serving as an information specialist at the White House Correspondence Office.

She and her husband travelled the world extensively, including Europe and Latin America.

Janet enjoyed many hobbies, such as photography; writing poetry; hiking; biking; and jogging in Rock Creek Park.

Janet is survived by her husband Hermann; her children Keane Posner, Mara Posner Metzger (David), Lars Helgert (Carolyn Fischer), Dedric Helgert, and two granddaughters Zoe and Jaime. She was preceded in death by her parents Hans and Hilda Lundsgaard and by her sister and brother-in-law Bente and Leon Cormier. Services are private.