Janet Pond Goodman died on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in South Dartmouth, Mass., at age 96. Since her marriage in 1944 to Robert Browning Goodman, she lived in Seattle, Wash., Denver, Col., Peyote, Texas, Ithaca, NY, Port Jervis, NY, Canton, NY, Trumansburg NY, Homer NY, Canandaigua NY, Batavia NY, Montgomery, Mass., and Little Compton.

Her husband died in 1999, and her second son, Richard B. Goodman, in 1986. Her younger sisters, Joyce and June, also predeceased her. She is survived by two sons, Thomas D. Goodman of Little Compton and Robert M. Goodman of Somerset NJ; four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren , and many admiring nieces and nephews in both the Pond and the Goodman families.

Janet (nee Janet Edith Pond) was the eldest daughter of Edith Allen Pond and Merwin A. Pond and was born on October 9, 1921, in Northampton, Mass. She attended public schools in Milford, Conn., and graduated from Cornell University’s College of Home Economics (now Human Ecology) in 1943. In college, she studied nutrition and thereafter became a Registered Dietician. Before her children were born, she worked as a dietician in hospitals in New Rochelle, NY and Buffalo, NY, and as manager of the civilian cafeteria on the US Army Air Corp base in Peyote, Tex., where her husband was stationed as a flight engineer training officer on B-29 aircraft at the end of WW II.

After her sons were grown, she returned to her profession, serving nursing homes and Head Start programs in the northern tier of New York State and in western Massachusetts. Upon retirement, she revitalized and managed the Grace Hall Memorial Library in the village of Montgomery, Mass., taught computer skills to elderly neighbors in Montgomery and in Little Compton, learned and practiced bookbinding, including repair of hundreds of volumes in the Brownell Library of Little Compton where she also volunteered, and was an avid gardener. She was an active community volunteer, and also provided assistance to neighbors in need in the village, ferrying them to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, and for recreational outings.

Janet led a full and rich life. She possessed a New Englander’s strong will, work ethic, sense of duty, and community spirit that lasted a lifetime.

She deeply loved and cared for her husband and their sons; she valued education and was always generous with her time and talents. Janet loved to cook, bake, garden, and was skilled at many crafts. Spring ephemerals in the woods and birds visiting her feeder enchanted her. She enjoyed the fine arts and classical music, as well as the peace and quiet of home and a walk along the beach. In their later years together, Janet and her husband traveled to the Bahamas, several Caribbean islands, England, Spain, and across the US.

Her family and all who knew and loved her have lost a true friend and miss her deeply.

Remembrances honoring Janet’s life may be sent to Grace Hall Memorial Library, 161 Main Road, Montgomery MA 01085 or Brownell Library, 44 Commons, P.O. Box 146, Little Compton RI 02837.