Lincoln and Bath - Janet L. Curtis passed away on February 17, 2021 with her 2 children by her side. She was born on May 9, 1936 to Edith (Brown) and Glen B. Lombard in Lincoln Maine. Janet had a very happy childhood-spending time in her grandfather’s barn with many cats and a dog along with sledding, skiing and being outdoors. She had fond memories of her first job at 15 as a salesclerk in her aunt’s variety store.
Janet attended high school at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln and participated in many activities including band, glee club, and being class secretary. She graduated in 1954.
From the time she was 11, Janet knew that she wanted to be a nurse. In September of 1954 she entered Eastern Maine General Hospital School of Nursing in Bangor. She took courses at the University of Maine in Orono. She was guided by the Director of Nursing Education to enter the collegiate nursing program. While waiting for an opening, she worked as a nurse’s aide at the Workman Hospital in Lincoln.
When Janet was taking classes in Orono, a friend arranged a date with Arthur Curtis, who was a student at the University. They attended a fraternity party together. She did not see him again until he found her at work in Lincoln. They dated while he completed his degree. He was drafted into the Army and Janet returned to and graduated from the School of Nursing in 1958 and worked at EMG. When Arthur returned from the Army, they were married and moved to Millinocket where he was employed at Great Northern Paper.
Janet and Arthur had 2 children- Charon and Roland. As a family they went on picnics, traveled to see historic sites in Maine and spent quality time other family members. A lot of time was spent reading to the children and making sure they played outdoors. The marriage did not last and they divorced in 1974. After the divorce Janet was there for her children. She seemed to be the first one at the hospital after Rollie’s motorcycle related injuries and always brought carrots for Charon’s horses and food for the stray cats she collected. When her grandson, Ryan Curtis, was born in 1980 she spent nights on the couch to help Charon care for him. She traveled from wherever she was living to see Ryan, watch his baseball games and take him to spend time with her, “Babbie and Bampy.”
Starting in 1974, Janet worked as a geriatric aide at Bangor Mental Health Institute caring for people who had grown old in the state hospital. She renewed her nursing license and worked at nursing homes in Bangor and Brewer. She continued her education in nursing at the University of Maine while working at a nursing home in Orono. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Southern Maine in 1981. She worked as a charge nurse at Hubbard Nursing Home in Dover Foxcroft and Ocean View in Lubec. One of the best compliments Janet ever received was when she was on night duty as a nurse. She would walk down the halls, stop at every room to listen and make sure all of the patients were Ok. One of the patients commented, “I feel so safe when you are around.”
Always a caregiver, she moved back to Lincoln when her father Glen became terminally ill. She cared for him until his death. She later was there for her Aunt Mildred Lombard and mother Edith in their final years. While in Lincoln she was instrumental in starting a Skilled Nursing Facility at Penobscot Valley Hospital then later worked as a R.N.C. supervisor at Colonial Health. Health challenges helped her decision to retire from nursing when she turned 62. She soon had part time employment teaching CNA classes at Northern Penobscot Tech until 2009.
Janet enjoyed living at her home, once her parent’s home, on Little Narrows Lake. She was an avid gardener, reader, bird watcher and loved antiquing with a special affection for dishes –traits she has passed onto her daughter and son. She often visited Charon and Roland in their homes in Southern Maine. With them she went for boat rides to have lunch with seals at Halfway Rock light or on Sebago Lake. She loved Sunday rides down a peninsula in search of ice cream and visiting Historical homes. She and Charon visited the botanical gardens in Boothbay from the very beginning of its development to what it is today.
In 2013, Janet moved to Bath to be closer to her children. Shortly after moving to the area, she moved to the Plant Memorial Home. After years of being a caregiver, she was “mostly” content to have others take care of her. She spent time on genealogy, scrapbooking and organizing family photos. She was content to live in such a nice place with wonderful people. Charon and Roland are sincerely grateful for the loving care she received from everyone at the Plant Home, the CHANS Hospice nurses and CNA’s during her final weeks.
Janet was predeceased by her parents and Brother Durwood Lombard. She is survived by her Brother Dalton who lives in Lewiston Idaho, her daughter Charon Curtis and her partner Mike Frost of Wiscasset, her son Roland Curtis and his wife Heather of Raymond along with her granddaughter Amy Hoover, her grandson Ryan Curtis and his girlfriend Molly Henry of St. Petersburg Florida. Janet’s first great grandchild, a grandson, Colter, will be born in the next few months. He will be sure to know, as the rest of her family does, how much she loved them.
Friends and family who wish may donate in her memory to the Plant Memorial Home 1 Washington St. Bath ME 04530. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Burial at the Lincoln Cemetery will be in the spring. Arrangements are by Lamson Funeral Home, Clay Chapel, Lincoln.