Janet M. Thompson

UPDATE: Janet will be laid to rest with her husband at the Arlington National Cemetery on August 4, 2025.

Janet McLean Thompson (nee Steenstra), age 86 of Wayne, passed away on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. She was a Wayne resident for more than fifty years.

Janet was born and raised in the Totowa section of Paterson and graduated from Central High School with the class of 1954. She was a Band Majorette and member of the Color Guard spending Saturday afternoons in the fall cheering on the Colts at Hinchliffe Stadium.

Janet met Jimmy Thompson as a teenager while they were both attending the First Presbyterian Church in Paterson and Jim played on Central’s football team.

After graduation, she began her career working for the telephone company. During this time, Jim had joined the military and was serving with the Army in Germany when he proposed to 19 year old Janet! With her father’s blessing, Janet traveled overseas (alone) and married Jim in Munich on August 4, 1956. They enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon there as well. Once Jim returned home, they married again for the benefit of their family and friends.

They bought their first home in the Packanack Lake section of Wayne, where they lived for 20 years before building a new home across town.

Eventually, Janet and her sister Clariss joined her father’s company, Steenstra Paper Products in Paterson. After her father’s untimely passing, Jim needed to step in and run the day to day business operations. Janet was at his side the whole time for over 25 years. They were a loving couple and Janet was utterly devoted to her beloved Jim. They always considered themselves lucky to work together at Steenstra Paper Products, and they loved being together each and every day. After Jim’s unexpected passing, Janet led the business for another 5 years until her retirement.

Together, they raised their two boys, James and Edward. Janet was a very involved and attentive mother. She was always supportive of her boys, attending their sporting events, scouting activities, band concerts, and school events. She and Jim were proud to attend Wayne Valley Marching Band competitions as well as football games at Muhlenberg College. She was an excellent cook and spoiled her loved ones with her baking.

During the 1970’s, at the urging of her high school friends Charlene Delvecchio and Maggie McMahon, Janet and Jim purchased several acres in the town of Cobleskill, NY. Jim worked alongside his close friend Jerry Delvecchio to design and build a country “cottage” on the property. Affectionately known as “The Farm”, Janet and her loved ones enjoyed countless trips to her second home over the past 50 years. This despite the home having neither electricity nor running water! These trips eventually included her grandsons where she would enjoy teaching them to play games such as Pokeno and Uno as well as dying easter eggs.

She was perhaps an even better YaYa, babysitting at every opportunity and spoiling her grandsons with love and hugs and lots of cookies. They will all miss her dearly.

In 2003, Janet moved to Oak Ridge where she lived on the fourth hole of Bowling Green Country Club. With the help of several close friends and neighbors, she quickly picked up the sport of golf and treasured her time on the greens.

Janet was fortunate to always have a large group of friends and she was very social. She played cards with her girlfriends often and loved playing tennis and golf over the years. Somehow, she also found time to tend to her garden or do needlework. She was very fond of her Dalmatians: Chequers, Chief and Mikey and considered them her other sons. Janet was blessed in many ways and her family will miss her presence.

Janet was predeceased by her loving husband, James(1994)and her parents, Edward Steenstra(1965) and Minnie(nee McLean) Steenstra(2006). She is survived by her loving sons: James and his wife Peggy of Seattle, Washington, and Edward and his wife Kathleen of Wayne, four adoring grandsons: McLean, James, Danny, and Matthew, one sister, Clariss Rock of W. Caldwell, and three loving nieces; Jocelyn Anderson, Cynthia Mizzone and Joanna Clarke.

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In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Packanack Lake Fire Co. #5, 5 Lake Drive West, Wayne, NJ or the Alzheimer's Association.