1942
Janet
2020
Janet Elizabeth Townsend
July 2, 1942 — October 15, 2020
She was born on July 2, 1942 in Parkersburg, WV, lived in Williamstown, WV, and graduated from Williamstown High School. She attended High Point College, NC, West Virginia University, and earned her nursing degree from WVUP. She passionately worked for many years delivering babies in the OB unit at Marietta Memorial Hospital.
She was member of the First United Methodist Church, Williamstown Historical Society, Williamstown Junior Women's club, and was a driving force behind the creation of the Williamstown Public Library. She was an avid reader, card player and shopper extraordinaire.
One of Janet's grandchildren once said, the Townsends have many stories, and Janet was no exception. She once had a pet alligator that her brother Fred sent her from Florida. It lived in the bathtub, though her mom, Frances was not happy about that. There is another story of her being very pregnant with Ed, standing on a boat dock, and holding the end of the rope connected to a boat that sunk while Ted drove the boat trailer back to the parking lot. Her comment to Ted was "But I was holding the rope, just like you told me too!" During her days as an OB nurse, she once was listening for the baby's heartbeat in the pre-delivery room and quipped "it's dead," meaning the batteries for the doppler not the baby.
Janet was an incredibly strong woman. She raised two wonderful boys into amazing men, started a second career in nursing in her 40s and beat breast cancer in her 70s. She loved to learn. Though she did not have enough credits in any one major to graduate in the 1960s, she had more than enough to minor in a number of areas. She went back to college in her 40s while Ed was in college and Kevin was in high school. She studied chemistry and biology to get her nursing degree, a completely different focus from her English and History studies in her 20s. She embraced her second college career and even was a bridesmaid in a fellow student's wedding (though no one has ever seen the pictures of her in the peach, ruffled bridesmaid dress). Janet loved her job helping women deliver babies at Marietta Hospital, and when a broken arm ended her OB career, she was a blessing to many post-partum mothers when she did home visits throughout WV and OH, checking on the moms and their newborns. She later enjoyed doing senior citizen health fairs in both WV and OH.
Janet was a go-getter and get things done kind of person. She volunteered for many athletic booster events for both Ed and Kevin's teams, helped with many school fundraisers. and co- wrote the history of Williamstown, "A Fruitful Valley." Janet's other writing talents including being able to write whole paragraphs in scripted, mirror image and school notes to teachers while sleeping if a pen was put in her hand and positioned on paper. Janet was our "go to person" to locate the hard to find gift or an idea for a gift that we were not even sure existed. If it was out there somewhere, Janet could find it. Janet loved to go to the mall, to walk around and look. She didn't need to buy....wait, who are we kidding, she loved to buy too!
Janet enjoyed being with her family and friends. She took up skiing and tennis to spend more time with those she loved. No one could do a "flying wedge" down a ski slope like Janet. She was pretty indominable in partner tennis, positioned at the net when she and Ted played with Nancy and Tom Bobbitt. She also attended countless WV football games, reluctantly serving as the "alcohol smuggler" for the group. Some of the family's favorite vacations included a trip to Killington, VT to ski, vacationing at Kentucky Dam Village with the Bobbitts and the Allens, a three-week cross-country adventure when Kevin and Ed were in junior and senior high school, and trips to Disney World with the grandchildren. She enjoyed playing bridge with her girlfriends and was an incredible host at parties. She had so many wonderful appetizer recipes that are family and friend favorites to this day including beef roll-ups, Texas caviar, deviled eggs, sweet dip with graham crackers, and peanut butter no bakes (or as we call them fishing cookies because they are great eating when surf fishing).
She shared her love of the beach and ocean with her husband Ted and they spent the last decade wintering in New Port Ritchey, Florida. They were high school sweethearts and have known each other almost their entire lives. As a five-year-old, Ted attended Janet's fourth birthday party. They called each other "chief" and when asked why, either did not really know or would not share why - it remains a mystery even today. Their early years of marriage were spent in Morgantown at WVU and Norfolk. Though they returned to Williamstown to raise their sons, they continued to enjoy traveling together. They took their first trip to Europe in their 70s and enjoyed a wonderful adventure in Hawaii for their 50th wedding anniversary.
Her strength, love of life, sense of humor, and love of learning can be found in her sons, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was one of a kind and her passing will leave a large space in our family. She is survived by her husband Ted, son Ed (Maria), son Kevin (Mary), grandchildren Drew (Tia), Sara Humes (Richard), Courtney White (Reed) and Ted (April); and great-grandchildren Andy and Paige and soon to be born Baby White. She was preceded in death by her father (A.R. (Doc) Sidell), mother (Frances Sidell) and brother (Dr. Fred Sidell).
Funeral services will be held 11:00 am on Thursday, October 22, 2020 at the Marietta Chapel of Cawley & Peoples Funeral Home with the Revs. Leo Farley and Helen Oates co-officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview cemetery in Williamstown. Visitation with be 2-4 and 6-8 on Wednesday at the funeral home. Masks will be required and social distancing will be observed.
Donations in her memory may be directed to the Williamstown Public Library.
Cawley and Peoples is honored to serve the Townsend family and offers online condolences and many other resources by visiting the Cawley & Peoples website http://cawleyandpeoples.com/
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Janet Elizabeth Townsend, please visit our flower store.
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