Janet A. Shepherd
Janet A. Shepherd, 90, of New Providence, formerly of Phillipsburg, NJ passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 4th, 2022 at Asbury Chandler Estates in Pen Argyl, PA.
Janet was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to the late Charles and Anna Coll. Janet attended Phillipsburg High School where she played basketball and was a cheerleader. She graduated from Douglas College with a degree in English. In 1956, she married her love, James F. Shepherd of Harmony, son of Benjamin Franklin and Madeline Shepherd. Janet and her late husband enjoyed 61 beautiful years together.
Janet and James then settled in Jacksonville, Florida in a waterfront home on the St. John's River where daughter Diane and sons David and Michael were born. Proctor and Gamble transferred Jim which led the young family to settle in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England where daughter Gail was born. In 1965, they returned to New Jersey and lived in Cinnaminson before settling into their forever home located in New Providence where Janet resided until March of 2022.
She was a dedicated homemaker and all who knew or met Janet found her to be a kindhearted and gentle spirit who could light up a room when she walked in. She had the ability to make every person in a room feel her love and their presence valued. She also dedicated her time at home to create a truly warm and loving environment for her husband and children.
She was predeceased by son Michael in 1988 and sister Mary Agnes Weinberger in 2018 who shared an everlasting love for each other. Janet is survived by her daughter Diane Shepherd of New Providence, NJ, her son David and wife Aleksandra Shepherd of Byram Twp., NJ, her daughter Gail and husband Gary Toscano of East Stroudsburg, PA along with her four grandchildren.
Family gatherings were the highlights of Janet’s life and being together simply meant everything to her. She always looked forward to being together to celebrate the holidays and birthdays in New Providence, East Stroudsburg and the lake house in Byram Twp. Also, many great times were held at the campouts in Harmony.
Perhaps Janet’s greatest joy was her love for her grandchildren, Amy and Susie Toscano and Michael and Samuel Shepherd. Janet always made it known how lucky she considered herself to have her grandchildren but if you asked them, they would say they considered themselves to be the lucky ones.
Janet was an avid Mets fan and attended games with husband Jim and family. They followed the Mets on TV and Janet had been cheering her team on until the very end. Her favorite pastime was playing bridge and you could always count on Janet to bring a deck of cards to play with the grandchildren. Anyone who knew Janet knew her love for choosing unique cards and had a talent for writing special notes to family and friends. She loved to travel in her younger days with her husband, Jim. She always considered herself blessed to be able to explore many different countries and make special memories. She also enjoyed spending time with her family at the Jersey Shore.
A viewing will be held at the Finegan Funeral Home in Phillipsburg, NJ on Thursday, June 9th from 4-6pm located at 302 Heckman Street, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865. The Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, June 10th at 10am at St. Philip & St. James Catholic Church, 430 S Main St. Phillipsburg, NJ 08865, where she was married. The interment will be at St. Philip and St. James Cemetery, Routes 519 & 22, in Greenwich Township, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Janet to either Meals on Wheels/Sage Elder Care, 290 Broad St., Summit, NJ 07901, SAGE Eldercare Inc - SAGE Eldercare's Annual Fund (networkforgood.com) or New Providence Rescue Squad, 7 Academy St., New Providence, NJ 07974, Donate | New Providence EMS.