Janet Hawkes

Janet Hawkes died on September 1, 2022 at the Loudonville Assisted Living Residence, where she had resided for the past 18 months. Prior to that she was a life-long resident of Schenectady County. She had recently celebrated her 100th birthday by taking a cruise on the Mohawk River.

She was born Janet Lydia Smith on August 28, 1922, in Schenectady, the youngest of five children of George E. Smith, Sr. and Lydia Glock Smith. She had a happy childhood. The family lived off upper State Street and they could walk to Central Park and the Colony Theater. She attended Lincoln School, Central Park Junior High, and Nott Terrace High School, graduating in 1940.

There was no money for college, so she rode the bus over to Albany each day to the NYS College for Teachers (now the University at Albany), which was free. She graduated in 1944 with a double major in French and German. She really didn’t want to teach, and there were openings for women at General Electric, so she took a position in the Accounting Department. She met Philip Hawkes when he returned to his position as an accountant at G.E. after the war and they married on February 21, 1948. They were married for 56 years, until his death on January 6, 2005.

Janet’s parents were members of the Christian Temple, a small congregation with declining membership. When Janet was about 10 her mother told her to find a church where there would be enough children her age for a Sunday school class. So she began attending State Street Presbyterian Church where her friend Ruth and family were members. She was very active in the church and served as elder, deacon and trustee; she remained a member until her death.

Shortly after the end of World War II she and her brothers decided they wanted a place away from the city, so they bought a camp on Galway Lake. It became a popular family gathering spot for over two decades.

Janet left her job at G.E. when she became pregnant and concentrated on raising her two daughters and serving the community. She volunteered for the Schenectady Community Ministries emergency food pantry for almost 40 years and also served with Literacy Volunteers, the Red Cross, and Schenectady County Cooperative Extension.

In 1965 she and a friend enjoyed taking a special census for the Town of Niskayuna. So on a lark she took an exam for census taker for the 1970 federal census. When she scored 100, the regional director offered her the position of office manager. In her only full-time job since leaving G.E., she worked out of a temporary office in downtown Albany outfitted with white cardboard desks which would collapse if leaned on. The position lasted less than a year, but in 1976 she began a 15-year part-time career as a field worker for the U.S. Bureau of the Census, asking one set of folks whether they had had any crimes committed against them, and another group about their housing situation.

She once said she could be happy anywhere as long as she had a good book, a crossword puzzle, and a deck of cards – she played everything from solitaire (she knew 16 versions) to duplicate bridge. She also enjoyed classical music, live theater, and opera. She paid great attention to detail in everything from preparing her income tax return to hanging wallpaper.

Janet is survived by her daughters Holly Hawkes (Rich Vertigan) of Burnt Hills and Susan Hawkes-Teeter (Phil) of Berne, her grandson Martin Hawkes-Teeter of Albany, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her brothers George, Robert, and Henry Smith; and her sister Katherine Thompson.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 22 at 11 a.m. at State St. Presbyterian Church, 5 Catherine St., Schenectady. All are welcome; masks are required per church policy. Please enter the adjacent church parking lot from State St.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Landis Arboretum, 174 Lape Rd., Esperance, N.Y. 12066 or to State St. Presbyterian Church, 5 Catherine St., Schenectady, N.Y. 12307.

Janet’s family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Home Instead and at the Loudonville Assisted Living Residence for their compassionate care during the last several years of Janet’s life.

Arrangements are by the Bond Funeral Home 1614 Guilderland Avenue Schenectady.