Obituary of Janet R. Richards

Janet R. Richards, 91, died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on December 13, 2020. She is survived by her three children: Dan Richards and his wife Karyn Richards of Melrose, NY, Stacey Richards and her husband Jack Tracy of Jamaica Plain, MA, and Amy Trotsky and her husband Michael Trotsky of Belmont, MA. Janet is also survived by her three grandchildren: Sara (Richards) Mastro and husband Timothy Mastro of Rexford, NY, Charlotte (Richards) Doud and husband Devin Doud of Arlington, MA, and Benjamin Trotsky of Belmont, MA. She is also survived by three great-grandchildren: Olivia Mastro, Lilian Doud, and Owen Mastro, and by her sister, Virginia Reeves from Syracuse, NY. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. Janet was born in Auburn, NY, the daughter of Donald and Agnes Higgins Reeves. She lived in Montezuma and attended Port Byron High School. She graduated in 1947, attended Keuka College in NY for two years, and then transferred to SUNY Geneseo where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Library Science. She later went on to receive her Master’s degree in Educational Media from SUNY Albany. During her career, she was a librarian for schools in Skaneateles, Chittenango, and South Colonie, NY. Janet loved books and children. Janet met and later married Robert L. Richards on July 25, 1953, at the Montezuma Methodist Church. They spent 65 years together, travelled extensively, and lived in several different states, as Robert was an executive at The International Harvester Company, including: Vermont, Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. They enjoyed much of their recreational and vacation time at their camp in the Adirondacks, and later at a winter residence in Arizona. In addition to spending time with family, Janet enjoyed gardening, knitting, bridge, cooking, and collecting antiques. The family will celebrate Janet’s life at a private service on December 21, 2020, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Clifton Park, NY at 10:00am. The funeral may be viewed live on the church’s YouTube link at www.stgeorgescp.org. The family welcomes others to join them for a short memorial service outside at the Saratoga National Cemetery, 200 Duell Road, Schuylerville, NY at 12:00 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Janet may be made to St. George’s Episcopal Church, 912 Route 146 Clifton Park, NY 12065.