MONMOUTH – Janet E. Arey, devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away in her home, surrounded by her family, on December 26, 2023.

The youngest of five children and the only daughter of Clifford and Hazel (Hoey) Anderson, Janet was born in Portland, Maine on December 15, 1944, and grew up in North Yarmouth, Maine, in the home that her grandparents built. Lore has it that Jan was the first girl born to the Anderson side of the family in over 80 years and the town rang the fire bells in honor of the occasion. While growing up, Jan looked up to her older brothers; she fondly recalled her brother Dana “allowing” her to retrieve basketballs that ran loose as he shot baskets in the yard. As a teenager, Jan inherited the family work ethic by working at her father’s business building lobster traps to earn her own spending money in high school.

Jan graduated salutatorian from Greely High School in 1963 and graduated from the University of Maine in Orono in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in English.

During her freshman year, Jan met her future husband, Vernon Arey, when, as fate would have it, an alphabetical seating chart placed them beside each other in a history class. Jan and Vern married in North Yarmouth on August 27, 1966.

Following Jan’s graduation from the University, Vern went on to pursue a law degree at the University of Maine School of Law and Jan taught sixth and seventh grades at the CK Burns School in Saco until 1971.

Jan and Vern welcomed their first child, Jonathan Anderson Arey, in August 1970 and a daughter, Nicole Elise Arey in 1974. In 1978 they purchased a house in Monmouth, Maine which remains the family home and a place for their children and grandchildren to return to for visits to enjoy board game marathons, birthday, and holiday celebrations, and just for the pleasure of enjoying a visit with Grandma.

Jan was always up for a game! Early on she and Vern enjoyed socializing with friends, playing Atari games, Jeopardy, and card games, and with family, board games of all types from Agricola to Ultimate Werewolf. No family game night was complete until Grandma claimed to be the “Villager” during a rousing session of Werewolf. With over 100 board games stacked in the closet, Jan was a fierce, but fair, competitor in them all – a trait which, much to her delight, has been inherited by her children and grandchildren. Jan’s favorite summer days were spent with her family at a summer lake house starting the morning competing at Boggle for five cents a point, then later playing more games on the beach, cheering on “float wars”, and making S’mores.

And of course, there was Bridge. People outside the family will likely remember Jan at the Bridge table where she played with the same passion for competition as always and her motto was “Never let the opposition play it for a one or a two bid!”. Jan was owner and director of the Augusta Duplicate Bridge Club for many years, and she achieved the American Contract Bridge League’s status of Ruby Life Master. Jan also taught the game to beginners through adult education programs.

Jan always enjoyed traveling. She and Vern took many opportunities to make vacations out of attending bridge tournaments across the country. Some of her other adventures include a trip to Folly Beach, South Carolina where she zoomed around in a golf cart with her granddaughter, a trip to England to visit her son (where, after a spiritual encounter with a Peacock in Avebury, she was convinced that she had lived in a past life), a road trip detour to Broadway with her daughter, and her all-time favorite, a trip to Disney World with her entire family which was aptly named “Grandma’s Celebration”.

Jan had a passion and a talent for crafting, sewing, and cross-stitching that she expressed through the creation of heartfelt scrapbooks, Halloween costumes for her grandchildren, and handmade portraits of the family pets. Jan recently joined a quilting group where she not only made many beautiful quilts, but several new friends as well. Jan adorned her home with creations for every season; the beauty she patterned together with love will provide comfort and warmth for years to come.

In 2014, Jan and Nicole researched the genealogy of the Anderson/Hoey family and prepared a multiple set of notebooks tracing the family history from the Mayflower to the present. They were pleased to discover that they were direct descendants of the Mayflower passenger John Howland, and, they were slightly amused to discover that he was apparently distinguished by his fall off the ship (though was obviously fortunate enough to be tossed a line and hauled back on board). Vern, of course, reminded Jan of this lineage from time-to-time, which she suffered in good grace.

Throughout her life, Jan believed in the magic of Christmas. Her tree was decorated with handmade ornaments carefully preserved through the years including a hand-made aluminum foil star that she and Vern made in their first year of marriage. Jan built family traditions such as making Christmas Eve Cookies, enjoying a Christmas Eve Fondue dinner, and a Christmas morning celebration that lasted into the early evening, always completed with a homemade dinner with prime rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. The twinkle in her eye at Christmastime will never be forgotten.

Janet was predeceased by her parents, her four brothers, Dana Anderson, Robert Anderson, Richard Anderson, and Lewis Anderson, and a nephew Clayton Anderson.

Janet is survived by her husband Vernon Arey of Monmouth, her son Jonathan Arey and his partner Leslie Andersen of North Yarmouth, her daughter Nicole Arey of Windham, her three grandchildren Cassandra, Emma, and Jack, and several nieces and nephews.

We invite family and friends to join us for an informal gathering of remembrance on February 10, 2024, 1:30 pm at Janet’s home: 657 Route 135 Monmouth, ME.

Jan, “Sam”, Mom, Grandma, we love you “3”.

Messages of condolences may be made to: http://www.finleyfuneralhome.com

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