1950 ~ 2013
It is with deep sorrow and a profound sense of loss that Janet’s family must announce her passing.
Janet passed away peacefully at home in Halfmoon Bay on June 25 from a severe neurological disease.
Jan was born in Vancouver in 1950 and grew up in New Westminster. In 1972 she graduated from UBC with a teaching degree, and over the next 25 years she taught school in BC, Fiji and Florida.
In 1974, Janet decided to take a trip to Australia “to see what she could find out”. It was a fateful decision. In Australia, she met Tom Hutton, an American who was on a similar journey of discovery. They made a connection, fell in love, and decided to continue their journey together.
Tom knew early on that in Janet he had found a very special woman. Jan was smart, energetic, open minded, compassionate, courageous, idealistic, and she loved nature. Tom soon realized that he had found his soul mate and Janet felt the same about Tom.
Together Janet and Tom spent the next 2½ years travelling west around the world – finding work where they could. They explored Fiji, Thailand, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Greece, Switzerland, Mallorca, and several other European countries before returning to North America in 1977.
In 1978, Janet and Tom settled in SE Florida and got married. They became avid sailors and built or rebuilt several sailboats. Jan was an expert painter and wood finisher and she did that while she got certified to teach in Florida. At the same time, Janet was developing her artistic abilities. Sketching, oil painting, and woodcarving were areas that she excelled at. Jan was very talented and could do almost anything she set her mind to. She gave many of her works of art to family and friends as gifts.
Janet was diagnosed with an advanced case of Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1987 that was successfully treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Unfortunately, the cancer reoccurred in 1997 and Jan had more chemo and a bone marrow transplant.
In 2000, Jan and Tom moved to Halfmoon Bay and Jan learned that the cancer had reoccurred yet again. She had a few more chemo treatments and in 2002 sought the care of local Naturopath Dr. Loreen Dawson. Jan’s cancer went into remission and did not reoccur. Janet was incredibly strong through her repeated battles with cancer, but the treatments caused much damage to her body and affected her quality of life.
Janet loved nature and the natural world above all else, except for her family and many friends. Jan was not a religious person in the conventional sense, but she was deeply spiritual. The mountains, the forests, and the ocean were for her as cathedrals and temples. In nature, Jan felt a connection to the divine, and she found comfort and inspiration. Every day Janet showed those around her how a spiritual, compassionate life can be lived.
Janet touched the lives of so many, and she will be dearly missed by family and friends, especially her sister Elaine Calnek, her brother Jim Pate, and her husband Tom.
Rest now, my beloved Jan. I will carry your beautiful spirit with me always.