Janice A. Stephenson, 81
Janice A. Stephenson, 81, passed away peacefully on May 12, 2026, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, surrounded by her loving family. Born to Andrew and Anita Huth in Brooklyn, New York, on October 30, 1944, she grew up in Garden City, New York, where she attended Garden City High School. She graduated from Westminster College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration.
After college, Janice moved to New York City, where she met her future husband, Bob, a business school friend of her brother-in-law. Janice and Bob moved to Garden City, where their two sons, Robert and Jon, were born. Returning home to join her parents and her sister’s family provided an opportunity for the families to build incredibly close and loving relationships. The bonds fostered during those years remained strong even after Janice and her family moved to Acton in 1979.
Acton, with its history and natural beauty, quickly became the family’s new home, and Janice spent weekends watching her boys grow up playing soccer and making lifelong friends in the community. It also became an opportunity for Janice to demonstrate her strength and independence as she transitioned from stay-at-home mom to working professional after her divorce. She began this journey working full time at a travel company named Hideaways before moving to Bolt Beranek and Newman. There, her remarkable organization and detail-oriented skills were put to good use as she grew to manage the purchasing department before leaving to join Cubist Pharmaceuticals, where she worked until her retirement.
Above all, Janice’s driving focus was to be a great mother to her sons, Robert and Jon, providing stability, love, and constant support. She attended nearly every soccer game, concert, or other special event, regardless of how busy she was at work. Janice made sure every holiday and school vacation was special, often sharing those times with the cousins on trips to the Poconos, Hershey Park, Colonial Williamsburg, and other destinations.
Retirement gave Janice the opportunity to spend more time supporting her boys and, more importantly, her four grandchildren Andrew, Paige, Graham and Elise. She was very committed to her health, walking or biking every day to remain physically active. She had a great love of books and was constantly reading. Janice enjoyed walking or playing bridge with friends, watching old theater classics, making “family spreadsheets,” and occasionally baking her world-famous chocolate chip chocolate cake or crinkle cookies. She was also a committed member of her condominium organization’s board, where she finished as president.
Janice is survived by her son Robert Stephenson and his wife Denise; her son Jon Stephenson and his wife Charlotte; her grandchildren Andrew, Paige, Graham, and Elise; her brother-in-law Drew Hult; and numerous nieces and nephews. Janice was preceded in death by her parents Andrew and Anita and sister Marilyn Hult.
Funeral services will be held at Acton Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street, on Friday, June 5, at 3 p.m., followed by a graveside ceremony at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
The Stephenson family would like to extend its gratitude to all the staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for their attentiveness and loving care.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 (stjude.org) or the Acton Free Public Library, 129 Main Street, Acton, MA 01742.
Arrangements are by Acton Funeral Home, concordfuneral.com.
