Janet Barbara Flanigan

Janet Husted Flanigan died peacefully on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in The Villages, FL. She was born to Joseph and Augusta Husted on April 8, 1926, in Sharon, Connecticut. Janet, who lived a long, loving and generous life, died three weeks before her 99th birthday. She seems to have outlived everyone in her direct Husted bloodline dating back to the 1500s. She maintained her mental capacity and zest for life almost until the end.

She spent her youth in Coleman Station, a hamlet in the Town of North East, in New York State and began first grade at age 5 in the one-room schoolhouse there. Starting in 7th grade, she commuted to the Millerton Public School. After her family moved to Amenia in January 1941, she attended Amenia High School, graduating in June 1943 at age 17. The school principal, Mr. Lonsdale, noted her intelligence and tried to convince her to attend a state teacher’s college. She failed to pursue the opportunity, likely because she was apprehensive about living away from home.

However, having graduated during World War II, she was eventually convinced to do her patriotic duty. She accepted a position as a telephone operator at Sampson Naval Base in Geneva in central New York State. She was homesick and returned home after she completed her initial three-month term.

She met her husband-to-be, Bob Flanigan, in high school. They started dating seriously after his discharge from the army in February 1946. They were married on February 15, 1947, at the Immaculate Conception Church in Amenia and had seven children: Michael, Nancy, Jill, Mary, Lea, Pat, and Teri.

Janet’s greatest joy was being a mother. Once, someone asked her if she was looking forward to her children returning to school after summer vacation. She replied that she liked to have her children home to keep an eye on them and ensure they were safe.

She said that her most significant accomplishment was raising kind children. She did not grow up in a diverse culture, yet she always cultivated tolerance of others among her children.

She loved to travel, often combining it with her love of gardens. She visited most of the major gardens and garden shows in the northeastern United States, as well as touring gardens in Florida, Hawaii, Newport, Montreal, London, and Paris. She was an award-winning flower arranger and served a term as President of the Nine Partners Garden Club in Millbrook.

Horticulture was not Janet’s only artistic pursuit. She created many sophisticated arts and crafts projects, but none are as notable as the needlework arts she learned from her ancestors. Her masterpiece is a white-on-white cross stitch of two ballet dancers from a pattern she purchased at Harrods in London in 1995. She worked with a lighted magnifying glass and finished it when she was 75. This and many of her other handicrafts are treasured heirlooms for future generations.

She loved attending live performances at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Tanglewood, Broadway and The Villages performing arts venues.

She and Bob were legendary dancers, twice stopping the show at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles.

People often remember Janet as the best-dressed person in the room. She did not spend extraordinary amounts of money on her wardrobe when her children were young but carefully curated her wardrobe with elegant, timeless items. Her high heels were her signature fashion statement.

Janet shared her love of reading with her children. In her late 90s, she still visited the library and recommended her favorite books to her family. She was a member of the Santiago Book Club in The Villages. She remained attentive to current events, shared her strong opinions and voted.

She wrote a dozen priceless, unpublished books: Baby Books, Grandmother Books, and Family History Books, as well as archiving crates of family history materials. The published history of the Flanigan family in Amenia was dedicated to her for her sharp mind and keen interest in family history.

In her later years, when she became a Literacy Volunteer, she felt unqualified because she had never gone to college. Her family reminded her of how many people she had already taught to read.

Once, when called to serve on a jury, Janet was selected as foreperson. Her fellow jurors must have thought that if she could manage seven children, she could manage them.

Having never resided more than 20 miles from where she was born, at age 88, she boarded an airplane alone and moved to The Villages, FL, where she lived in her own home for ten years near three of her daughters and sons-in-law. She liked to ride around The Villages with the convertible top down, “topless” as she coyly referred to it.

Janet’s seven children and their spouses survive her, Michael Flanigan (Debra), Mary F Cross (Rich) and Patrick Flanigan (Mary), all of Millbrook, NY, Jill Flanigan of LaGrangeville, NY, and her loving and devoted caregivers, Lea F Howard (Aaron Sr.), Teresa Denfeld (Harold), and Nancy F Schultz, all of The Villages, FL.

Also, six grandchildren, Whitney F Rosier (Justin), Devin F McCoubry (Matt), Seamus Brennan (Ann), Rob Cross (Amy), Aaron Howard Jr. (Kathleen), Matt Howard (Cassie).

And ten great-grandchildren with number eleven on the way.

She was preceded in death by her former husband, Robert Flanigan, sisters Betty O’Riley and Grace Crawford, son-in-law Jack Schultz, and grandson Ryan Brennan.

For more information, see the Flanigan Family Tree on Ancestry.com.

Instead of flowers, please consider making a donation in Janet’s honor to Cornerstone Hospice, 601 Mariposa Way, The Villages, FL 32162 or at https://cornerstonehospice.org/ > Donate.

The family will schedule a service for a future date in Amenia.