Janet Murray Yorke

The beautiful soul who was Janet Murray Yorke peacefully went to heaven on Thursday, June 25, 2026. Despite many challenges, Janet led an extraordinary life full of positivity and joy. She was a faith-filled, fun-loving, intelligent woman who made everyone she met feel seen and cherished. During her life she raised eight children, loved and lost two husbands, and battled leukemia, all done with grace and kindness. She was an exceptional human being.

Janet was born Janet Ellen Horvath on January 13, 1943, in Newark, NJ. She lived with her mother Rose, and her grandparents, Samuel and Florence Shertzer, while her father Louis was deployed in Europe during World War II. Her sister, Susan, was born in 1946, and the family moved to the veterans’ barracks in Weequahic Park in Newark after the war. Her parents divorced, and Rose married Robert Provost, a kind man who adopted Janet and Susan and raised them as his own daughters in Hillside, NJ. Janet loved Robert and was proud to become Janet Provost.

Because she wanted to go to a Catholic school, Janet rode the bus daily from Hillside to Elizabeth to attend St. Mary’s High School. Even at this early age her faith was important to her. She played basketball and was the Vice President of the Student Council. Janet made treasured, life-long friends in her Class of 1960. She enjoyed many regular gatherings with them at the Jersey Shore later in her life as an active member of the self-proclaimed “Beach Bums”.

After high school, Janet was awarded a scholarship to attend St Elizabeth’s College in Florham Park, NJ. She joined the synchronized swimming team, was a Dean’s List student, and served as the President of her Senior Class. Many of her St. E’s classmates were close friends throughout her life. In 1964, she earned her degree in Math with minors in Russian and Physics. Janet was very proud to accept a position as a computer acceptance tester and programmer at Prudential in Newark upon graduation.

Starting her sophomore year of college, Janet began dating Bill Murray, a high school classmate, Student Council President and outstanding athlete from St Mary’s. Bill told her after their first date that he wanted to marry her, and in 1965 that came true. The young couple rented an apartment in Edison, NJ. Janet left work when she became pregnant with their first baby, Jennifer. After the birth of their 2nd child, William, in 1969, the family moved to Pittsburgh, PA. for Bill’s job. While living in Pittsburgh, Bill and Janet welcomed three more children, Ellen, Maureen, and Joseph. In August 1976, the family relocated back to NJ and settled in Sea Girt, where Janet would live until 1999. There, the Murray clan grew to completion with the births of Susan, Katharine, and Patricia.

During her almost twenty-five years in Sea Girt, Janet thrived as a mother and homemaker. She loved her neighbors on Brooklyn Boulevard and her wide network of friends. Janet served a term as co-president of the PTO at Sea Girt Elementary School, volunteering at many school events. She adored watching her children play youth and high school sports at Manasquan High School in Manasquan, NJ, in the late 1980’s, 1990’s and early 2000’s. She shared many wonderful times with her monthly bridge group friends, including annual trips to New York City to see plays on Broadway. She earned extra money by baking key lime pies, carrot cakes, and cheesecakes for many local restaurants including Rod’s in Sea Girt and Jody’s Seafood in Manasquan. Janet and Bill were blessed to raise their large family in an incredibly kind and generous Jersey Shore community. The family gratefully remembers being anonymously helped with many donations of clothes and meals.

Sadly, Bill was diagnosed in 1988 with brain cancer. Janet went back to work full-time at Prudential to support the family. To supplement her income, she and a friend started a craft business pairing bible verses with peoples’ names, calling it “Your Name is Meaningful”; Janet was very proud of the business, and the two friends spent many weekends together selling their products at craft fairs.

When Bill passed away in 1992, Janet took on the responsibility of raising the eight Murray children on her own. Janet was again so grateful for the love and support of the many friends and neighbors who rallied around her. She left Prudential in 1998 and had multiple part-time jobs that gave her more flexibility. She worked in Spring Lake, NJ, as a night concierge at the Essex and Sussex Hotel and as a breakfast cook/front desk person at the Normandy Inn. She also worked at Williams Sonoma in Wall, NJ. Janet sold her home in Sea Girt in 1999 and moved into a condominium in Brielle, NJ, where from 2000-2002 she cared for her mother Rose until her passing.

In 2003, a new chapter began after Janet was diagnosed with an allergy to wheat and gluten (celiac). For someone whose “love language” was cooking, this could have been a major adjustment. But Janet took this situation, like everything else in her life, in stride. She modified her favorite recipes and researched new ones, and in a time when gluten allergies were relatively unheard of, she patiently educated every waiter and waitress about how to keep her loved ones safe.

After selling the condo, Janet lived with a dear college friend, Noel, in Spring Lake Heights, NJ. She spent the years before 2014 working her part-time jobs and traveling coast to coast to visit her family. With her children, Janet was able to see many beautiful places in the United States. She never wanted to miss a milestone; from baptisms to little league games, dance recitals, and college graduations, she was there. And if she couldn’t be there, she stretched her technology skills and learned how to live-stream games and ceremonies.

In 2014 at her 50th high school reunion, Janet reconnected with a classmate, Fred Yorke, and they fell in love. Janet and Fred were married in 2016, and they lived happily together in Toms River, NJ, until he passed away in February of 2020. She began the next chapter of her life when she moved to St. Simons Island, GA, in 2022.

In true Janet-like fashion, she celebrated becoming a Georgia peach. She embraced her new neighbors, including her dear friend, Karen. She was blessed to join the faith community at Wesley Church, and she was devoted to her bible study group the “Monday Night Bible Sisters”. She loved attending the wonderful Strummers’ concerts at St. Simon’s Island library. Janet was the Library’s, Post Office’s and UPS Store’s best customer, constantly requesting books and sending letters, cards, and packages to her loved ones.

When she was diagnosed in January of 2025 with aggressive leukemia and told she had 4 to 6 weeks to live, Janet prayed for extra time. She received exceptional medical care from Dr. James Foran and Katharine Hanratty, NP, at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, Dr. Antonio Moran of Brunswick, GA, and his staff, the wonderful aides from First Light Home Care, and her caregiver companions, Amy and Caitlin. Combined with her medical care, Janet’s positive attitude and amazing support from friends and loved ones, allowed her to make the most of an additional 17 months of life.

Janet joked that her only regret before she passed was that she never wrote her autobiography, which she wanted to title “Bleachers I Have Sat Upon, Maternity Wards I Have Visited, and Beds I Have Slept In (a reference to Janet’s travels, and a testament to Janet’s sense of humor).

She was happiest when she was baking, cooking and entertaining her family and friends. She loved decorating her house for holidays and all the seasons. She enjoyed games, playing bridge, Words with Friends, Boggle, Wordle, Scrabble, and regularly watching Jeopardy. Janet also loved to watch sports, especially Mets games, and March Madness was her favorite time of year. She loved being part of the “Book Babes” and the “Goddesses”. One of her greatest joys was the bi-annual “Murray Christmas” gatherings of all thirty-six immediate family members, in a different location every other Christmas. Janet was very patriotic and cared deeply about our country. Most importantly, Janet’s faith in Jesus was central to her life.

Janet will be greatly missed by all who knew her, but especially by her sister Susan, her husband Bob, and their children Kristin, and Karin, and by her eight children and their spouses: Jenny and Dan, Bill and Sandra, Ellen and Ted, Mo and Dan, Joe and Katie, Susan and Brian, Katie and Jarrod, and Tricia and Phil.

“Grammy Janet” had a profound impact on the lives of her 19 grandchildren, including Megan and Rob; Julia and Nick; Josh and Becca; Alice and Edie; Ella, AJ and Maggie Jo; Rosie, Millie and James; Andrew, Owen and Patrick; and Vince and Nora.

Also grieving Janet’s passing are her sister-in-law Ann Marie and her children Henry and Patrick, her brothers-in-law, Eddie and Tommy, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Throughout Janet’s life, her unique gift was to be a true friend to others. It is impossible to list all of the names of the people who were special in her life. Please know our family is grateful for your friendship with Janet, and we are mourning with you.

Janet’s family is especially grateful to their sister Tricia, her husband, Phil, and their children, Vince and Nora, for all they did to care for Janet during her illness.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 3PM at Wesley Church, 6520 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island, GA, 31522. All are welcome to attend a graveside service to be held at St. Catharine’s Cemetery, 1100 West Chicago Boulevard, Sea Girt, NJ, at 10AM on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, Janet requested that donations be made to The Butterfly Children Fund, butterfly-children-fund.square.site, and the EB Legal Aid Society, eblegalaidsociety.org/donate/.