Janet was born in Detroit, MI on May 20, 1954 to Robert L. Chance and Margaret G. Chance. A native of Berkley, MI, Janet attended Michigan State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. Following graduation, Janet began her career with the State of Michigan Department of Transportation. While there, Janet was a founding board member and officer of the Society for Women in Transportation (SWT). The SWT gained credibility with Department management and helped improve the status, respect and security of women within the Department.
After two years working in transportation, she transitioned to the State of Michigan Public Service Commission where she held many positions over her 31-year tenancy including Manager of the Energy Policy Section. She directed much of the Commission’s electric policy research and coordinated the Commission’s intervention in electric cases before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Commission’s Congressional liaison efforts.
Throughout her career, Janet was very active with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). She held formal and informal leadership roles including: Chair, Transmission Working Group, Staff subcommittee on Electricity; Chair, Staff Subcommittee on Strategic Issues; Chair, Staff Subcommittee on Electricity.
After retiring from the State of Michigan, Janet brought her energy efficiency and legislative expertise to CLEAResult where she held the position of Senior Policy Advisor. At CLEAResult, Janet was a key member of a national energy policy team until her retirement in August of 2016.
In her personal life, Janet demonstrated her lifelong passion for animals by serving on the Ingham County Animal Control Shelter Advisory Board from 2003 to 2007. Over the years, she also enjoyed the companionship of her three dogs, Riley, Ginger, and Gofer, and cat, Smudge. Throughout her life, Janet combined her love for nature and traveling, taking three notable trips. First with her cousin Mary Ellen, Aunt Ethel and Uncle John Sellars to England and Scotland in 1979; next with her husband, William, to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, including Banff and Jasper national parks in 1983 and 1984; and most recently with her husband and son to Alaska in 2012. Finally, she had notable loves of reading and for cheering on her son, Chris, during his soccer games for over 10 years.
Janet is survived by her husband of 39 years, William Hanneman; her son, Christopher Hanneman; her siblings, Robert Chance (Colleen) of Rolling Prairie, IN; Julia Gustafson (the late Brian) of Wooster, OH; John Chance of Oak Park, MI; sister-in-law Jane Bickerstaff (Dennis) of Perry, MI; and sister-in-law Carla Pitman (Gregg) of Holderness, NH. Janet will also be forever remembered by her nieces and nephews: Peter Gustafson (Margo), Lillian Pilasky (Matthew), Natalie Gustafson, Melissa Lindquist (Frank), Catherine Chance, Hannah O’Brien (Benjamin), Thomas Chance, Rosemarie Chance, Joseph Bickerstaff, Eric Bickerstaff, Nathan Bickerstaff, Travis Pitman (Pamela), and Emily Pitman. She will also be missed by her numerous cousins, extended family, and dear friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents Robert Lewis Chance (2005) and Margaret Gelineau Chance (2012), father-in-law Carl Franz Hanneman (2007), mother-in-law Marcia Ann Hanneman (2018), and brother-in-law Brian Thomas Gustafson (2004).
A 10:00 A.M. visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 16, followed by a 11:00 A.M. memorial service at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, located at 1730 East Grand River Ave, East Lansing, MI.
Memorial gifts may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave. Floor 17 Chicago, IL 60601 or the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
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