Janet W Garrett

Janet Maddox West Garrett, long time resident of Washington, DC, died from complications of dementia on Sunday, January 28th, 2024. Born in September 1943 in Washington, DC, the youngest daughter of the late Millard Farrar West Jr. and Emily Stuart Maddox West, she attended the Potomac and Madeira Schools in Washington DC, then earned her BA degree from Sweet Briar College.

In 1966, she married fellow Washingtonian Lieutenant Ben de Hymel Cabell, USAFR. They lived in Ankara, Turkey, during her husband’s tour of duty with the Judge Advocate General’s office. Upon returning to the US, they had two children: a daughter, Notley Carrington Stuart Cabell, in 1970, who died at three weeks of age, and a son, Benjamin Cabell V, in 1971.

After her divorce, in 1975, Janet relocated within DC to the house where she would live until the final year of her life. In 1985, she married Darryl Nolan Garrett, an executive at the CIA, who moved in with Janet and her son. She is survived by her husband, son, her sister Margot West Anderson, her daughter-in-law Francine Cabell, and her grandson Benjamin Cabell. She will be interred beside her mother and daughter at Christ Church in Chaptico, MD.

Janet was a fascinating and complex person, a paradox in many ways. She was as happy in an elegant dress at a cocktail party as she was covered in plaster dust, tearing through an interior home wall with a Sawzall. She had a passion for traditional English gardens, Italian villas by Andrea Palladio, British tavern clocks, and American portrait miniatures of the 19th century. And she rocked out to Mandy Patinkin, Meatloaf, Bette Midler, New Orleans jazz, and R&B/gospel of the 1960s.

A lifelong artist, Janet worked in various mediums, including painting, sketching, silk screening, calligraphy, sculpting, air brush and carpentry. The portraits she created of family and friends are cherished reminders of her artistic gifts. Together with her husband, she designed original book jackets for six published books. She also designed a silk scarf that was produced as a fundraiser for Stratford Hall.

Janet was also dedicated to her community, volunteering and supporting many charities. She served on the Board of Lady Visitors for Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC, and founded and managed the Gift Shop there in the 1980s. She was the President of the DC Chapter of the Stratford Hall Foundation. In 2003, she ran the New York Marathon, raising money as part of Fred’s Team.

Her family and friends will dearly miss her.