Family and friends are remembering Janet Had, and sharing this tribute with the community:

Janet M. Had – 1934 to 2017 – a terrific woman

Born in 1934 to Shirley and Lester Bannister, Janet was a lifelong Seattle resident. Raised primarily on Queen Anne and Capitol Hill, she was a West Seattle resident for the past 60-some years. Married in 1956 to Josef Had, until his death in 1977. Janet was one of the first women in management at the Seattle Federal Reserve Bank. When it was suggested to Janet that she might want to check out the TV series Mad Men because of the depiction of women working in a man’s world back in the day, she replied that she had lived through that time period and had no nostalgic reminiscences about the era. After Josef’s death, Janet met Richard Pelley and they enjoyed a long-term committed relationship until his death in the mid 1990s.

Janet had fond memories of spending time at Point No Point with Richard and his daughters Karen (Hull) and Tracey (Fossum) and their families. Along with time spent at Point No Point, over the years, Janet also enjoyed Toastmasters, gambling junkets to Reno, senior aerobics classes (both attending and instructing), happy hours with her friends, and of course, following progressive politics. Janet was especially dismayed by the current trend in politics to attempt the undoing of decades of progress in the realm of women’s rights, civil rights and social justice.

After a recent diagnosis with a fast-moving illness, Janet’s family and her physicians honored her wishes to forego invasive treatment and she passed peacefully in her own home on the morning of June 15, 2017. Janet is survived by her daughter Marianne and son in law, Steve, as well as cousins, nephews and good friends. No traditional services are being held per Janet’s request. A celebration of life (a Wake!) is to be scheduled for a future date here in her beloved West Seattle. If you wish to honor Janet’s memory, please consider a donation to Planned Parenthood.

Please share memories of Janet on the online guestbook at emmickfunerals.com

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)