Janet Moffett Moore Burrows

A video tribute to Janet can be viewed at:

[http://youtu.be/nwNIcQ3KPa0]

Janet Lolita Moffett Moore Burrows, 80, a resident of Wilmette for 46 years, died of a stroke March 7 at Evanston Hospital.

Mrs. Burrows was born July 24, 1927, in Washington, D.C., to Janet and Elliott McFarlan Moore. She was the granddaughter of the late Rear Adm. William Adger Moffett, often described as the "Father of Naval Aviation," and Daniel McFarlan Moore, an inventor who worked with Thomas Edison and invented one of the first commercially available discharge lamps. She was proud of her distinguished ancestors in both the Moore and Moffett clans.

When she was 6, her grandfather, Admiral Moffett, was killed in the crash of the USS Akron dirigible. Within seven months, her father also was tragically killed, in a plane crash at Catalina Island off the California Coast. Janet's family eventually moved to Northfield, Illinois, where Janet's mother was married to Griffith Mark.

Mrs. Burrows was the main care provider of not only her four younger brothers, but also her ill mother. She graduated from New Trier High School in 1945 and attended Sarah Lawrence College for one year when her mother called her home for help once again.

At 21, she married Lt. Col. Kent Maynard, and during their 14 year marriage, they were stationed in Paris, France, for four years. There she learned to speak French fluently, attended L'Ecole du Cordon Bleu, and fell in love with the French people and culture.

After her divorce, she moved back home to Wilmette. To support her children, she worked at various jobs.

Desiring to be her own boss, she opened a women's designer clothing consignment resale shop in Wilmette called Once More with Feeling. Her business was a true outlet for her independence and creativity. She was able to provide for her family from earnings from Once More with Feeling for 17 years.

In 1970, she married Andrew J. Burrows, who founded Trout and Grouse, a retail Orvis hunting and fly fishing shop in Wilmette.

In later years, her creativity bloomed into a renewed love for painting. She developed another new business called Heavenly Piece, where she painted furniture by hand, with happy colors and fun graphics, for sale or made to order. It was her desire to share the joy and hope of her religious faith, so she often painted inspirational biblical scriptures on the furniture she sold.

In addition to painting, she worked at before-school care at McKenzie Elementary School and served as an local election judge. Her passion was her involvement in the church youth group, Bible study fellowship, prayer groups and ministering to the homeless and others in need.

Survivors include her three children, Jan LaDouceur of Woodridge; Kent (Elisa) Maynard of Winnetka, and Andrea (David) Montross of Wilmette; four step-children, Carol Burrows, Lee Burrows, Ann Burrows and Andy Burrows Jr., all of California; 11 grandchildren, Michelle, Sarah, Michael, Charlie, Anna, Trip, Nicholas, Katherine, Martha, Billy and Luke; three step-grandchildren, Tony, Annadee and Cassandra; and two brothers, Griffith Mark, and Peter Mark.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew J., and two brothers, William Moffett Moore and Elliott McFarlan Moore, Jr.

A memorial service was held March 15, 2008 at the Winnetka Covenant Church.

Posted by Anna Maynard:

My grandmother (Janet Burrows) was so loving and proud of me. She cared for me with a tenderness that I cannot explain. She would come over once in a while. we'd have nothing planned and usualy sit on the couch and still say "I had fun" when it was all over. She was different very different in a good way. I wish i had known her her whole life. Anna