Unfortunately I only came to know Janet in these last 17 or so years, and then only on my visits to the UK from my home in Italy. 
Much of my family on the Shingleton side is to be found in New Zealand and Australia, since my Dad’s sister Joan went out there with her betrothed after the war ended and had a family. Also my Dad’s brother John, wanted to start up a farming business in Western Australia because land was enticingly cheap so he sent his 2 younger sons out there, and now they and their families are Australian citizens. 

In 2005 my mother was clearly ailing, thus I was frequently over to give the carers a break. So for me to discover another Shingleton living nearby was a big bonus, and I gladly accepted her generous offer of a stay over. Janet and I checked the family trees and discovered our common ancestor, which if I remember correctly was our great, great grandparents, William Shingleton (1802-1891) and Harriet Cox (1808-1891). She had 2 small portraits of them on her wall.

Janet, despite her age and the various ailments that she suffered during her life had a stoic spirit and what surprised me most was her modern outlook on life. Her choice of living together with her friend Gill plus dog, I thought was the most sensible setup for them both. She was clear, compassionate and forthright in her thinking, and though an churchgoer and believer, in no way did her beliefs affect our friendship, me being an atheist! Perhaps the fact that both of us had not had children was one of the factors that helped our friendship, also broad interests in common.  I admired her attitude to life, and perseverance with the new technology, emails and the telephone, which helped keep us both connected,  and I much enjoyed our time spent together in Poundbury. 

I’m sure she will be very much missed by her friends and family, all of whom were so important in her life.
Janet ticks those boxes for a life well lived; a life to celebrate.