Janet Lee Kelly, aged 69, of Northampton, Massachusetts, passed away on September 16, 2024. She was surrounded by loving family and friends.
Born on October 11, 1954 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Janet was a devoted wife, mother, educator, social activist, and animal lover. Pervading all aspects of Janet’s life were her empathy, respect and her devotion to being of service to others.
Growing up in northern New Jersey Janet often recalled trips into Manhattan with her father, a native of Brooklyn, who introduced her and her siblings to the city. Janet also developed a lifelong appreciation of Stone Harbor on the Jersey Shore where her family frequently vacationed. She reveled in stories from her childhood about the long drives with her family from New Jersey to Nebraska to visit her maternal grandparents.
As a child Janet followed the encouragement of both her mother and her teacher to become a promising pianist. This talent was eclipsed by other interests as she became more independent in a range of pursuits. In high school Janet enrolled in an experimental academic program designed to engage students and teachers in exploring new approaches to education and learning. She immersed herself in African-American studies as well as becoming fascinated with the continent of Africa itself.
Early in her life Janet became a writer. Her keen and sometimes wry observations of social issues, human relationships as well as her own self reflections pervaded her writing. Janet was particularly passionate about her poetry, doing readings in New York City and the northern New Jersey area while in her twenties. Her poetry was published in several journals.
Janet prided herself in having been employed since the age of fourteen, most often as a waitress at various restaurants and bars throughout northern New Jersey, New York and, after relocating, in Massachusetts as well. A climactic point in her long and diverse range of experience as a wait person was her portrayal of the “Waitress from Hell” for a Halloween celebration.
With the support and encouragement of her mother, Janet became involved in a program that took her to Guatemala to study Spanish. She spent most of her time there living with a non-Spanish speaking indigenous family in a mountain region. In spite of the language differences, she and the family developed an enduring bond. The family later visited Janet and her family in New Jersey to attend a United Nations conference.
Janet later traveled to The Gambia in West Africa with a program designed to build and develop schools. Her time there was disrupted by a political coup that led to Janet and the other program participants being evacuated by the US State Department to Senegal, and ultimately back to the United States.
Janet earned a master's degree in social work at Fordham University, her father’s alma mater, in 1979. She subsequently worked as a case worker in a social services agency.
In the summer of 1984 Janet traveled to Spain where she again studied Spanish.
Following that summer Janet joined her two older siblings in the Pioneer Valley where they had previously relocated. Accompanying her was her beloved Hoboken cat, Ratso. Over the years Janet cared for a series of rescued dogs and cats as well as a pair of fire belly toads. All of her pets were quite well fed and cared for.
Janet arrived in Amherst, Massachusetts in the fall of 1984 to attend graduate school at UMASS and earn a second master’s degree, this time in the School of Education. She aspired to learn to teach adults to read and write. She earned her M.Ed. in 1986 and became primarily employed as an adult literacy teacher at the Read/Write/Now program affiliated with the Springfield City Library. Janet soon became the director of R/W/N and continued in that capacity for thirty five years. In the course of her career Janet not only taught, she successfully wrote grants that were the primary support of the program, bringing in a total of more than three and a half million dollars during her thirty five year tenure. Following her retirement in December 2022 “Janet Kelly Day” was declared by Dominic Sarno, Mayor of Springfield in recognition of her longstanding devotion to the literacy needs of adults in the Springfield area.
Janet measured the success of her efforts in adult literacy by the degree to which, by developing some degree of competence and confidence with literacy, her students were able to more actively participate in the world. She saw the value not only in the incremental gains of her students at reading and writing but also in their ability to interact with and access the world. A prime example of what Janet strove for is represented by a student whose greatest pride was in being able to read to his grandchildren. Being a humble servant Janet inspired others while taking little credit for herself. In all her endeavors, Janet was a soft-spoken but persistent revolutionary, enabling her students and many others to cross thresholds that had previously constrained them.
While both working at UMASS and being a graduate student there, Janet met her future husband, Patrick Fleming. After they had each finished graduate school, Janet and Patrick were married on October 12, 1991. Their only child, Liam Kelly Fleming, was born in 1993. Along with her professional commitments, Janet was a devoted mother, supporting Liam through years of treatment for childhood cancer. Janet’s greatest pride was to see her son become a healthy, well-educated and successful adult who shares her priorities of empathy and the provision of service.
In her final few years Janet struggled with declining health. Her commitment to family and friends, her love of animals and her interest in current events could not be eclipsed by these struggles. She died in hospital after a period of illness.
Janet was predeceased by her parents, Walter Kelly and Vernelle ‘Renee’ Sigler Kelly.
Janet is survived by her husband, Patrick Fleming, of Northampton and her son, Liam Kelly Fleming of Philadelphia, PA. She is also survived by her sister, Judy Kelly and her partner, Paul Stramese of Northampton; her brother, Donald Kelly and his wife, Peri Kelly, of Plainfield; along with her siblings’ children.
A small family service was held on September 16th for interment of Janet’s remains in a green burial at Highland Cemetery in Montague, MA not far from the Montague Bookmill where she and Patrick were married.
A celebration of Janet’s life will be held at a future date.
Donations can be made in Janet’s memory via a GoFundMe administered by Janet’s family to benefit adult literacy students:
https://gofund.me/d84aeccb