Obituary of Janet Jean Hudak

Janet Jean Hudak

Janet Jean Hudak passed away at home on September 15, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. Janet was born June 16, 1941, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was the first born to Lawrence and Alice “Jean” Freeman. Janet is survived by her husband, Larry Hudak; her three children Renée (Lance Abelsen), Steve (Barbara Whitmore), and Andrew (Marisha Doan) Hudak; and her two brothers Elliott (Diane Larsen-Freeman) and Larry (Elizabeth Belknap) Freeman. She will be greatly missed by her six grandchildren: Joshua and Tyler Hudak; Ursula, Aaron, and Nora Abelsen; and Joyana Hudak-Doan as well as her four nephews, great-nephew, and two great-nieces.

Janet grew up in Ann Arbor and graduated from Ann Arbor Senior High School in 1959. She attended University of Michigan for two years and Western Michigan University for a year in between. She met her husband Larry at the University of Michigan. After her mother died, she left Ann Arbor to live in New York City. She married Larry in 1964, and they spent two years in Yuma, Arizona. The next three years, they lived in Philadelphia, PA, until 1969 when they moved to Tacoma, WA.

Janet was always concerned about the welfare of children and was an advocate for both mothers and children. She taught preschool for over 8 years in Tacoma. She was a parent educator at Bates Vocational Technical School for four years and taught mother-infant skills. In 1983, she was the nursery school coordinator through Tacoma Community College for the Purdy Treatment Center for Women until she decided to continue her education in 1984. At the age of 43, she attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, where she completed her bachelor’s degree. She then worked as a social worker for Tacoma Pierce County Health Department for 11 years as a Public Health Educator and then a Health Promotion Specialist. During this time, she wrote a curriculum titled “Cherish Yourself and Your Child” and traveled throughout the country teaching her curriculum. At the age of 59, she attended the University of Washington Tacoma where she obtained her Master of Social Work and went on to work for DSHS until she retired in 2007.

Janet was a woman who enjoyed life and new experiences. On her first coffee date with Larry, she asked that they “do something different for a change”. They went on a train trip to Detroit. In Yuma, she was the editor of the Sunday magazine. While in Philadelphia, she challenged Larry to live out his dream to mountain climb. The next week, they were on their way to Washington State to start a new life and climb mountains.

Janet was active in mountaineering, backpacking, politics, community activism, fiber arts, and raising children. She touched many lives and will be greatly missed by those who knew her.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, November 10, 2019, at the Slovenian Hall, 2306 N. 30th Street, Tacoma, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.ALZ.org).