Janet died peacefully from leukemia at the Royal Victoria Hospital, on February 12, 2018. She was the dear wife of John Blachford for over 56 years, beloved mother of Erik, Leith and Ian, affectionate mother-in-law of Maryam Mohit, Kingston Ip, and Laura Ierfino, and granny to Jake, Sedi-Anne, and Theo Blachford, Zander Ip, and Madeline and Lucas Blachford. She is survived also by her brother, John, her sister, Nancy, and nieces, nephews, and cousins galore.

A life-long Montrealer, Janet graduated from The Study and spent many happy summers at Camp Ouareau in the Laurentians, first as a camper and later as staff. She received a BA and an MA in English Literature from McGill University, where she taught Advanced Composition and The Faculty Course in the 1960s. Later, she was a keen volunteer at McGill for many years, as Board Member and President of The Friends of the Library. She was also a Board Member of the Quebec Writers’ Federation.

Her greatest loves outside her family were choral singing in different choirs, principally at the Church of St Andrew and St Paul, gardening and writing fiction, which resulted in two published novels, ''Rehearsal'' and ''Blue Lake'', finished in the months following her diagnosis.

She loved the life of the mind, coming back time and again to the words of John Milton, inscribed on the exterior wall of McGill’s Redpath Library: Beholding the bright countenance of truth in the quiet and still air of delightful studies.

And though she’d have thought it the height of impertinence for us to include a quote here from her own novel ''Blue Lake'', it seems only fitting that she gets the last word:

''Her own version of the Blue Lake island looked like a ship, the pines her sails, green wings in a high wind. That island had always been able to fly''.


The family wishes to thank Wendy Wray of Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative, Dr. Chaim Shustik, Dr. Allan Sniderman, Dr. Kelly Davison, Dr. Michael Thirlwell, and all the exceptional nurses and staff of the Cedars Cancer Centre of the Royal Victoria Hospital for their compassion and kindness to all concerned, throughout Janet’s illness.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Mount Royal Funeral Complex, 1297 Chemin de la Forêt, Outremont H2V 2P9 on Friday, February 23 at 11:00 am. As Janet loved colours, please do not limit your attire to black.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to ''Fiat Lux'' at McGill University, or the department of Oncology-Haematology at the Royal Victoria Hospital.