Birth date: Dec 31, 1949 Death date: Mar 3, 2020
Janet Flaccus, age 70, of Fayetteville, died Tuesday, March 3, 2020. She was born December 31, 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of George Edward Flaccus Jr. and Helen Stulen Flaccus. She was preceded in death by her Read Obituary
Janet Flaccus was one of the kindest human beings I have the pleasure to know. I remember her from law school. She was always sweet and respectful to her students and loved salting her lectures with amusing antidotes about cultivating flowers and, of course, her beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. This world lost a great soul with her passing.
I just heard the sad news of Janet’s passing. We were friends through elementary school and high school in Ben Avon. Janet was a bundle of cheerful energy, smart, full of life and kind to everyone. The last time I saw her, she mentioned the fullness of her life with family and professional obligations. We both pursued legal careers, graduating from law school in the same year. We were both gardeners. Our lives diverged in other ways, but I always kept a mental picture of Janet - brimming with enthusiasm - challenging and inspiring her law students. She touched so many lives! I was privileged to know her.
Betsy Nickeson Bilus
New Canaan, CT
Janet has been my much-valued friend and colleague for over forty years. As a colleague, she made thoughtful, principled judgments and had the backbone to follow them through. As a friend, I have found her to be enduringly cheerful and kind. In fact, my husband and I owe her millions of dollars in lost bets playing golf with her and Bruce. Despite her expertise in collection law, she made no effort to collect. And finally, she has been a beloved teacher. Although Janet was intimidatingly smart, her charm, good humor, and self-deprecating comments endeared her to generations of our law students. We all will miss her.
Professor Mary Beth Matthews
My husband, Raymond ('84), and I knew Professor Flaccus from law school. She was always very professional and one of our favorite professors. She will be missed.
My sincere sympathy to Bruce and to Janet’s extended family! Janet was a delightful and much valued faculty colleague!
Prof. Donald B. Pedersen - retired
Janet and I were gardening buddies for 25 years, spending loads of time working side by side in her beautiful flower beds in all kinds of weather. She loved her Harlan Brown soil and enriched it yearly with 900 pounds of cottonseed hull top dressing. No weed was too small to be pulled and no spent bloom allowed to stay past it’s prime, allowing new blooms to continually emerge. Known as The Flower Lady by everyone in her neighborhood, Janet was always glad to pause in her work to talk about flowers and graciously accept the many compliments received from walkers and cars stopping to admire her design talents and the abundant beauty of her skilled hands. Pinks, purples and blues were her favorite bloom colors. Not only did she win the first America in Bloom Fayetteville residential prize, she declined to enter in subsequent years so that others could experience the pleasure of winning it too. This attitude personified Janet. She was kind, funny, smart, sensible and loyal. My friendship with her made me a better person and I will miss her always.
I am a classmate of Janet's from Wheaton and am just so sad about this. I grew up in Arkansas but my life was the reversal of Janet's. I came sight unseen to Wheaton and then made my home in New England for the past 50 years. Janet came to Arkansas after I had left and we never had a chance to reconnect here. While I did not know her well in college, it's clear she lived a full and accomplished life here in Fayetteville. I was privileged to see her a couple of times towards the end and talk with her about Wheaton, assuring her we are all proud of her and will never forget her. Condolences to Bruce and the entire family. Rest in Peace, dear Janet!
Such fond memories of Professor Flaccus. Gifted and amazingly smart lawyer. Deepest sympathies to her family.
Brett McDaniel (Class of 02)
