Janet Theresa Shapiro

Janet Theresa Harrington Shapiro passed in her sleep on Thursday, March 3, 2016 after a short but valiant battle with breast cancer. Janet was 70 years old, but if you asked her, she would say she was 69. Janet was born in Boston, MA the only child to Eleanor Savage Harrington and Paul Harrington. She attended the prestigious Girls’ Latin School until her family moved from Dorchester to the suburbs of Peabody, MA. She graduated from Peabody High School in 1963 and married her high school sweetheart, Jay Shapiro, with whom she had three sons: Scott, Jay and Mark.

While Janet had been employed as an executive assistant, real estate agent, cardio vascular physiologist, a caregiver to the elderly and the infirmed, and retired as a unit secretary at Cape Cod Hospital, her chosen career and passion was being a mother to her three boys, and she rose quickly to the top of her field. Janet would read and sing to them, play with and teach them, and ultimately send them into the world as confident, compassionate young men. Janet never put herself first and no sacrifice was too big if the result was the betterment of the family, and specifically the boys. Janet would often tell people that her three sons were her greatest success.

Janet always had a smile and a joke, and would sing to herself or along with the radio whether she knew the words to the song or not. The family moved to her beloved Cape Cod, where she had spent summers since she was a child and in 1985, Janet designed and built what she would refer to as her “dream house” in Sandwich. She would spend the next 30 years there. In her later years, Janet became a political advocate for social justice and income equality, and an ardent defender of civil discourse. Even if she disagreed with your opinion, she would remain polite and say that the only thing that mattered was to get out and vote and let your opinion be counted regardless of what it was.

Janet was the perfect fit for her latest role as a grandmother, spoiling her grandson Nicko and granddaughter Summer in typical, extravagant fashion. Even though both grandchildren reside in California, she still found a way though Facetime and regular visits to build bonds that will last a lifetime.

Janet was a friend to anyone who needed one. She was a loving aunt, cousin, mother, wife, grandmother, trusted advisor, family historian and the glue that held many family members and friends together. She was a compassionate voice in a world of noise and will be dearly missed. The impact Janet had and the lives she touched in her 70 years, or 69 if you were to ask her, created an enduring legacy.

A memorial will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Bourne-Nickerson Funeral Home in Bourne, MA followed by a reception to celebrate Janet’s life.

In lieu of sending flowers, she would have wanted donations to be made to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign at: https://go.berniesanders.com/page/content/contribute/ .