Janet Cross Berends

Janet Cross Berends passed peacefully at home on May 17th after a courageous decade-long battle with dementia. Her strength of character, protective nature and steely resolve will be fondly remembered by all who knew her well.

Janet was born on October 17th, 1932, in Summit, NJ, the daughter of attorney Arthur Cross and his homemaker wife Erma. Janet spent her entire childhood in Summit, living with her older brother “Blaine” in the quaint A-frame house at 145 Ashland Road. She graduated from Summit High School in 1950 where her extra-curricular activities included chorus, drama and cheerleading, for which she was best known. She attended Western Maryland (now McDaniel) College in Westminster, Maryland, graduating in 1954 with a Bachelors of Art degree in Sociology. It was at Western Maryland that she met her future husband John, whom she led the sidelines cheer for, pom-poms in hand, as he played football and lacrosse. The couple married in 1954 before moving to Fort McClellan, Alabama where John was stationed in the US Army Chemical Corps. It was here that the first of their three sons, William ("Bill"), was born in December, 1954.

Returning to John’s home state of Maryland, their second son David was born in 1956 and their third son Richard followed in 1960. The three Berends sons spent much of their childhoods growing up in a split level home in Timonium with Janet holding down the fort. The long-running joke in the family was always that Janet raised four boys: sons Bill, David and Rich and husband John. Janet and John moved the family to Hopewell Township, New Jersey in January, 1973, only to return to Maryland in 1983 once their sons were launched. They lived in Bel Air for the rest of their days.

Always a very sociable woman, Janet was active in bridge clubs, reading groups, and tennis and, later in life, as a proud Red Hat Society member. She loved playing golf and was a long time member of the Winters Run Golf Club, where she formed many friendships over countless rounds. An endearing stickler for the rules of the game, she deemed these far more important than the numbers on anyone’s scorecard – including her own. She also enjoyed watching sports on TV with her John, especially Baltimore Ravens’ football and men’s and ladies’ golf tournaments (Freddy Couples was a particular favorite).

Predeceased by her brother Arthur Blaine Cross, Jr. (May 2013) and her husband John Berends, Jr. (January 2021), Janet is survived by her three sons and two daughters-in-law: Bill (Vicki), David, and Rich (Jane); seven grandchildren, four with spouses; and three great-grandchildren.

A graveside service for Janet will be held Wednesday, May 22, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM at Parkwood Cemetery, 3310 Taylor Ave, Baltimore, MD 21234.