Janet M. Linehan
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Published in The Boston Globe on August 27, 2024
LINEHAN, Janet M. (McManama) Passed away, Sunday, August 25, 2024, peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family, after a courageous battle with ALS. She was 70.
Born on December 1, 1953 in Boston, MA to the late Dr. George and Virginia T. McManama, Janet was one of seven children. A close-knit family, the McManama siblings have a bond that is enviable. Whether it was recounting fun stories with her sisters or keeping up on the ice with her brothers, Janet’s childhood was filled with many cherished and beloved memories.
A graduate of Newton Country Day School (1972) and Colby College (1976), Janet was an exceptional athlete, mastering whatever she set her mind to. Throughout her years in high school and college, she held several records in tennis, winning the Maine State Championship in 1975 and competing on Colby College’s first women’s ice hockey team. After graduating from college, Janet began her career in Financial Services at the First National Bank of Boston, rising to the level of Vice President. It is there she met her husband, Mark.
In 1984, Janet and Mark, along with their daughter, Katharine, set off for Asia as Mark pursued a new job opportunity. This was the beginning of an incredible nine-year journey, including wonderful travel adventures and the birth of their second child, Daniel. In 1993 Janet and Mark moved their family back to the U.S. and settled in Dover, MA, expanding their family with their third child, Edmund. Janet quickly became an integral part of the Dover-Sherborn community, volunteering many hours of her time at the local church, organizing annual town tennis tournaments, all while never missing her children’s sporting and musical events. Janet was first and foremost a woman of family. Any amount of time spent with her husband, children, grandson or siblings was her greatest source of joy. Whether it be summer beach days with her children and grandson, trips to Florida with her siblings or simply sitting at the bar with her husband, Janet was happiest surrounded by family. We can’t forget to mention her dear friends made on Cape Cod in the last 10 years. Along with them, she would strive for the trifecta, three forms of exercise a day, pickle ball, paddle tennis, biking, paddle boarding, walking, golfing, you name it, Janet did it and excelled at it.
Janet is survived by her loving husband, Mark, of 42 years; and her three children, the lights of her life, daughter, Katharine; son, Daniel, his wife, Julie; and grandson, Jack; and son, Edmund and his fiancée, Louisa. She will also be missed by her loving siblings, Marybeth Crabtree (Paul), George McManama (Rhonda), Robert McManama (Diane), Carol Berry, Virginia Duffy (Mike) and Deborah McManama; as well as her sister-in-law, Margaret Szostak (Fred). Janet was also loved and cherished by her 31 nieces and nephews and their families.
Family and friends will honor and remember Janet’s life on Saturday, August 31, at 11am, at a Funeral Mass celebrated at Our Lady of Victory, 230 South Main Street, Centerville, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made in Janet’s memory to Compassionate Care ALS, P.O. Box 1052, West Falmouth, MA 02574 www.ccals.org Chapman Funerals & Cremations – Marstons Mills 508-428-5704
