Janet St Clair Kilby

Janet Kilby, born July 8, 1954, passed away peacefully at home in Boulder, Colorado on September 19, 2016. She was the daughter of Barbara Louise and Jack St Clair Kilby. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she was four, her family moved to Dallas, where she spent the remainder of her childhood. After attending the University of Denver and spending two years in Taos, New Mexico doing intensive spiritual work, Janet settled down on an organic peach farm in Palisade, Colorado. Janet was devoted to improving the well-being of others, whether family and friends or the indigent poor and victims of domestic violence. Not only concerned with people, she was an environmentalist and beekeeper involved with healing the natural world. Janet brought compassion and maintained a spiritual approach to all her relationships–at home, in society, at Boulder Friends Meeting, and with nature.

While living in Palisade, Janet raised her three daughters and embarked on a career shaped by her interest and commitment to social work. She strived to improve the lives of the underserved in Mesa County. Her work at the Resource Center resulted in the creation of safe housing for victims of domestic violence; she also raised money to meet the needs of teenage mothers. For almost 20 years, Janet served on the Board and volunteered for Child and Migrant Services, where her efforts led to the first new housing ever constructed in Mesa County for migrant farm workers. She became the executive director of the Marillac Clinic, a clinic for the uninsured in Grand Junction. Over the course of her ten year career at the clinic, she grew the number of staff positions from eighteen to seventy. At the same time, medical services were expanded and eventually included mental health and dental care. She was instrumental in setting up a system whereby prenatal care was made available for all women in the county, regardless of ability to pay. In recognition of her vision and contributions to establishing integrative care, she was awarded posthumously the Wingspread Award by the Collaborative Family Health Care Association. In short, her understanding of the conditions for human well-being and social justice coupled with her talents as an organizer and administrator led to significant change and the establishment of human services that continue to assist the community.

After moving to Boulder in 2007, Janet attended Friends Meeting there. Previously she was part of a Quaker worship group in Palisade that was under the care of Boulder Meeting and later she attended Mountain View Friends in Denver where she became a member. Her deep spirituality enriched the Quaker community. Through her service on committees, her relationships with Friends, and her spirit-led and eloquent spoken ministry, Janet enhanced the spiritual life of the Meeting. She gave two spiritual journeys, the first in 2009. The second, in 2013, dealt with her approach to healing from her first cancer and was particularly compelling.

Poetry, prayer, and the natural world all called to Janet in a powerful way. She was at home in nature and saw the natural world as being intrinsically connected to the spiritual world. Nature was her church.

Led by this deep love of nature, Janet in recent years became involved in efforts to restore balance and harmony to the life cycles of plants and bees. As part of the movement Bee Safe Boulder, Janet helped to organize neighborhoods to stop using the harmful pesticides that are killing bees and causing bee colony collapse. She enjoyed helping people with gathering swarming bees and setting up hives. In addition to local education and organizing she reached out to form the Earth Coalition that brings together various groups to address this crisis in the ecosystem. In honor of her dedicated work, the Bee Safe Earth Janet Kilby Memorial Award has been created.

A friend said of Janet that she embodied the principle of “love thy neighbor” as she looked for the best in everybody. Janet valued all her relationships with people, especially with her family and friends. Her spirituality allowed her to connect with people at a deep level, a gift that enriched all the lives that she touched. She faced her final months with courage and continued compassion for others. She is survived by her loving husband Rick Healy, and daughters Caitlan Moore (husband Jed), Marcy Cameron, and Gwen Cameron, step children Dan and Emily (Dana), grandsons Liam, Rhys, and Brooks, sister Ann, and nieces Erica (Abe) and Katrina.

A memorial service to celebrate Janet St. Clair Kilby’s life was held on November 12, 2016. Respectfully submitted by Anne Marie Pois, Boulder Friends Meeting