Janet Easterday

Janet Easterday

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Janet Foster Easterday, who left us peacefully on January 15, 2025 at the age of 86.

Janet was born on September 2,1938 in Orange, NJ to James Walter Foster and Anita Mahon Foster.  Janet moved to Mountain Lake, NJ in 1950 with her mother and sister Barbera.  She graduated from Belvidere High School in 1956, and married Richard (Dick) Graffin. They had a son, Richard (Rick) Graffin Jr., and a daughter Rebecca (Becky) Graffin. On the death of Janet’s mother, Anita Brown in 1959, Janet and Dick took over care of her younger brothers, Jay and Ken Brown and along with their own very young children, raised them to adulthood in Mountain Lake.  Janet remarried in 1975 to Grant Easterday and the family welcomed Grant’s son Guy to the fold.  In 1983, Janet and Grant moved to Raleigh, North Carolina.

Janet was a loving and caring mother to this non-traditional family.  She was always there when someone needed her, often working two jobs to provide a good home for her family.  She continued to provide support and guidance to her family throughout her life.  She was a beautiful person, inside and out.

Throughout her career, Janet worked at Celanese Corporation in Belvidere, NJ until the early 1970’s, when she began working for the Warren County Schools Superintendent’s Office. Upon moving to Raleigh in 1983, she worked at Rachem Corporation until her retirement in 2004.

Janet is survived by her daughter Rebecca Sokolowski and her husband Mike, stepson Guy Easterday and his wife Fran, Brother Joseph (Jay) Brown.  She is also survived by her Grandson Ryan Sokolowski and his wife Jenna, Grandsons Wade Sokolowski, Grant Easterday, Hayden Easterday, Alex Easterday and Dillon Barron, granddaughter Gina Easterday and great-grandchildren, Blake and Kira Sokolowski who will forever treasure the moments and memories they shared with Grammy Janet. She is predeceased by her husband Grant Easterday, her son Richard (Rick) Graffin, her sister Barbara Schurter and her brother Ken Brown.

A celebration of Janet’s life will be held on February 1, 2025, at Finegan Funeral Home, 302 Heckman Street, Phillipsburg, NJ.  Call between 11:00 and 12:00, with service directly following.  Family and friends are invited to attend and share their fondest memories and heartfelt tributes.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice.

Janet, Mom, Grammy, you will be forever missed, and your spirit will live on in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to know you.