Janet Cecile Hunt of Newport, RI passed away on May 14, 2022, in Providence, RI.
Janet was born in Hempstead, NY to Charles S. Hunt and Marion (Price) Hunt on Nov 20, 1948. She graduated from Seton Hall High School in Patchogue, NY and went on to earn a BA degree in English from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. While at Nazareth, she became part of a small group of 6 friends, called The Fafas, after a song refrain from a local rock group. They stayed very close and met every 2 years after they turned 40 to celebrate their lives and friendship.
Janet worked as an insurance executive for her entire career, mostly with Aetna for over 25 years, first in Hartford, CT and then New York City. While living in Connecticut she shared an apartment with college friends and skied during the winter and rented a house in Old Saybrook during the summer. In 1982 she was offered a position with Aetna in New York City. It was a major change in her life – big, exciting city, big clients (JC Penny, Gulf & Western, Time Warner, Revlon) and a big salary. She won many awards, trips to St. Thomas and Boca Raton and traveled extensively throughout the country servicing her clients.
While living in New York City, Janet became very involved with St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. There she embraced many aspects of the Church – from serving in a Soup Kitchen, to embracing a Cursillo study group. This led her to a trip to Israel in early 2000, where she encountered God and Jesus in a meaningful way.
She bought her home in Newport in 2003, splitting time between there and NYC. Upon her retirement 2 years later, she moved full time to Newport and continued her religious work at Emmanuel Church. She participated in the Education for Ministry, was on the Discernment Committee and was a member of the Vestry. She was an active fund-raiser, volunteer and leader for many activities and events at Emmanuel and made many friends and acquaintances through these endeavors.
Janet enjoyed golf and tennis and traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe. Janet attended a women’s tennis final at Wimbledon (her dream) and volunteered to rebuild houses New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Katrina. She loved Broadway theater and was very active in the art community after she moved to Newport. She also loved entertaining friends, attending classes at Salve Regina, listening to music, and watching the sunsets at Gooseberry Beach.
Janet’s life was filled with good friends, good times, and fond memories. It is difficult to encapsulate anyone’s life in a few words – but hopefully this will summarize her existence with us – “Time decides who you meet in your life, your heart decides who you want in your life, and your behavior decides who stays in your life.”
Janet herself believed that life is not lived in the ups or downs – it’s in the in-betweens. Janet passed away peacefully on May 14th in Providence, RI.
She is survived by her brother Charles of Rancho Santa Fe, CA and sister, Doris Murmello of Bayport, NY. She also leaves many nieces and nephews, including John and Sara Murmello of Pittsburgh, PA, Matthew, Sarah and Ava Rose Murmello of Raynham, MA, Lee Hunt of Manhattan, NY, Chris Hunt of San Francisco, CA, Alex Hunt of Oakland, CA, Steve Hunt of Spring Lake, NJ, Laura Hunt of South Ocean, NJ, and Jill and Bella Hunt of Woodstock, IL. She was predeceased by her parents and brother Sam.
A Funeral Service will be held at Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn St, Newport at 11:30 am on Saturday, June 25, 2022. A Celebration of Life luncheon will follow at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Bellevue Ave in Newport.
Memorial donations may be made to: Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn St, Newport, RI 02840.