Janet E. (Manning) Montminy, age 88, passed away with loved ones by her side on November 30, 2025, at Juniper Village's Wellspring Memory Care home in State College, PA.  She was born on August 5, 1937, in Cambridge, MA to the late John J. Manning and Agnes F. (Hicks) Manning.  On April 4, 1959, she married her college sweetheart and devoted husband of 65 years, H. Peter Montminy Jr., who preceded her in death earlier this year.

Janet graduated with highest honors and the prestigious Teacher's Scholarship Award from Lexington High School in Lexington, MA in 1955.  She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts in 1959, with a major in microbiology.  At UMass, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, as well as active in numerous social, civic, and Catholic service organizations.

After graduation, Janet accompanied her Army officer husband to his station in Augsburg, Germany, where they lived for several years before returning to the US.  When Pete got his first baking industry job with Mrs. Smith's Pie Company, they moved to Pottstown, PA where they lived for most of their adult life.

Janet served in many volunteer capacities in her home communities.  She served as president of the PTA and Women's Clubs in Douglassville, volunteered for education committees in Boyertown and healthcare groups in Pottstown, as well as service projects with her home parish of St. Aloysius Catholic Church.

Upon completing her first full-time job, raising their four kids, Janet worked for many years as a certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician and then Office Manager for Sanatoga Ophthalmology Associates in Pottstown.  She remained life-long friends with Dr. Spencer Richmond and his wife, Gerlinde – with whom she travelled back to Germany several times.

Janet enjoyed a life-long love of learning – science, history, reading, and travel.  She took pride in her roots in Lexington, MA and the ideals of the American Revolution that started there.  She was a champion for greeting, hosting, and helping others in need in her community.  She often quietly delivered food, paid utility bills, and invited those who were struggling into her home for respite.

She was an ardent sailing fan and instructor early on in life, which meshed perfectly with her husband's passion for sailing.  They spent much of their retirement years on their sailboat, cruising around the Chesapeake Bay or up and down the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to their winter home in Hilton Head.

Janet was most devoted to and proud of her ever-growing family.  She held high expectations for her children to take scholarship and service to heart. She also provided loving support to her children, encouraging them to follow their talents and dreams wherever they may lead.  She is most fondly remembered for hosting the annual Family Thanksgiving Reunion – somehow home-cooking several turkeys and all the fixins for 30-something relatives every year until she turned 80!

She cherished her grandchildren beyond measure.  "Grandma" was adventurous and, as her high school yearbook described her, "peppy…always up for a good challenge or debate."  She loved exploring the world with her grandkids – whether taking them to museums and Broadway musicals in NYC, or to National Figure Skating Championships and Ice Capades, or kayaking and parasailing along the beaches of Hilton Head Island, or sledding down snow-covered hillsides in central PA.

Janet is survived by 4 children: Peter Montminy and his wife Mary of Centre Hall, PA; Tom Montminy and his wife Terry of Falmouth, MA; Deb Woodson and her husband Joe of Cheshire, CT; and Pat Erickson and her husband Andrew, of Rock Hill SC.

She is survived by 12 grandchildren, including: Jen Krempa, Sarah (and Nathan) Brown, Kevin (and Alicia) Montminy, Hannah (and Michael) Usilton, Giselle Montminy, Henry Montminy, Brigitte Montminy, Erin Woodson, Kelli Woodson, Kenneth (and Rachel) Erickson, Dana Erickson, and William Erickson.  She is also survived by 7 great-grandchildren: Johannes and Thisbe Krempa, Isaac and Silas Brown, Antoinette and Kaden Montminy, and newly born Cameron Erickson.

Janet is survived by her sister Susan Shores, her brother John Manning, and his wife Lydia Graves.  She is also survived by sister-in-law Phyllis Kilpatrick and sister-in-law Anne Montminy, along with many loving nieces and nephews.

Friends will be received from 9:00 – 10:00 am on Saturday, December 13, 2025 with a funeral service immediately following at 10:00 am at the Haky/Georgiana Centre County Funeral Home, 1034 Benner Pike, State College, PA 16801, Father Brian Saylor officiating.  Interment will take place at Centre County Memorial Park, with a brief committal service immediately following the funeral.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Janet's memory may be made to a local charity serving those in need in your home community.