'Janet's Final Good-Bye': Community Rallies To Pay For Funeral
EAST HAMPTON, NY — In times of great sorrow, the East Hampton community comes together to help one another.
Friends of Janet Soper Edwards are rallying to help pay for her funeral expenses. According to a GoFundMe page, "Janet's Final Good-bye" Janet died on Saturday morning at her home in Springs with her husband Andrew and cousin Donna at her bedside.
"We all thought Janet was on the upswing and this all changed a week ago when some tests revealed that cancer had overtaken her body," the page, created by "We Love You, Janet," said. "There was nothing that could be done to treat it. Janet went into home hospice care on Tuesday August 25. Her first loves husband Andrew and son Christopher are heartbroken and just shattered."
Her mother Sheila could not come up because she, too, was in hospice and because of the coronavirus, she was not able to travel to see her daughter, the page said.
"We are raising money for end of life expenses; as we all know, getting sick is expensive. This would be a huge burden lifted off the family who are in the throes of grief and need all the help we can provide for them."
Janet, the page added, "was a force of nature — and that force will live on in our hearts and Springs forever. She was loving, loyal, kind, warm, and always extended an invitation to a seat at her table to break bread or a bed in her home. She also had a wicked sense of humor, and you knew any time with Janet, fun and laughter would ensue. She was an award-winning cook — and every year would make a vat of her special clam chowder and drop portions off to friends and family as gifts. If you were lucky enough to be on the list, well, you know what we're talking about."
When Janet ran One Stop Pet in Southampton for almost 20 years, "she took the time out to talk to the customers and genuinely cared not just about their pets but about the humans," the page said. "Whether you were a celebrity, a hedgie, a fisherman, a clerk, a housekeeper, a titan of industry, she treated everyone the same — with love, humor, and generosity. She cared about each and every one of you and your animals. Oh, and by the way? She was super discreet. Never gossiped. Janet was the person you called when your animal was sick, when you were sick, when you were in a jam, when you wanted a laugh when you wanted a hug. Janet was always there for all of us — let's show Andrew and Christopher how we can all be there for her this one last time."
GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.
This article originally appeared on the East Hampton Patch
