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Janet (Reighard) Keelan joined her beloved husband and best friend, Tom, on Friday. Together again, they will dance, make music and fill the heavens with their lighthearted, good-natured happiness. Janet was born at Lee Hospital in Johnstown. When she was a young girl, she used to tell people that her name was Janet Lee Hospital Reighard!
Janet was the fourth of six children who grew up in Franklin Borough. She attended Franklin High School and loved music, dancing and sneaking around with her girlfriends, especially Dorothy Buchan.
Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by siblings: Ken Reighard, George Reighard, Jack Reighard, Larry Reighard and Nancy Stupic.
She met Tom Keelan, the love of her life, at a bar after he had been released from jail. (Don't judge). At the time she met him, she was ill with a muscle disorder that made her weak. Tom was not deterred; he loved Janet and her fun spirit. They dated for about five years and were married on May 15, 1965. Tom and Janet expanded their family and had two great kids, Coleen (Kathleen) and Tom Jr. (Kristin).
Over the years, they had a wonderful life. They traveled to other states and the Caribbean, as well as visiting Ireland multiple times. Janet loved that Tom was in the DC Fire Department and played the bagpipes for the DC Pipes and Drums; it was an opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and be part of a big, beautiful family of wonderful people.
Even more than traveling and meeting new people, Janet was overjoyed at the birth of her two granddaughters, Alison and Amanda. She was affectionately known as "Gram" and her husband Tom was known as "Cracker."
Janet discovered line dancing and she was hooked. She started dancing in Southern Maryland with a group called Syncopated Rhythm and was a fixture at many of their performances for quite a few years. She was an entertainer at heart and loved dressing in cute line dancing outfits. She even did a hilarious solo skit to Patsy Cline's song, "She's Got You," complete with a multitude of props stuffed down her shirt.
She was a true domestic engineer! She managed the household, kids, meals and school functions, all while making sure that her home was fastidiously clean! She was a great cook and made delicious corn fritters, pigs in a blanket, sauerkraut and a variety of other delectable meals. She was especially talented during the winter holidays making chocolate chip cookies, Russian tea cakes, chocolate crinkles and other irresistible treats that she tried to keep locked away (unsuccessfully) until Christmas. She and Tom were veteran yard sale wheelers and dealers. They enjoyed low balling everyone in southern Maryland and Florida with their very good friends, Jim and Rosemarie Lynch.
Janet was a card shark and enjoyed poker, pinochle and other card games like Hand and Foot. She loved winning and taking her friends' nickels, dimes and quarters -- especially Esther Rickabaugh and Joyce and Steve Veckov.
She is survived by many nieces and nephews.
She embraced life's challenges and had a fighter's spirit. She had a good life.
If friends so desire, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Janet to The DC Firefighters Burn Foundation, P.O Box 4565, Washington, D.C. 20017, or online at (dcffburnfoundation.org) or (dcfdpipesanddrums.org).
The family would like to sincerely thank the staff at Graystone Manor Grand Palazzo and Gentiva Hospice for their love, care and support.
A celebration of Janet's life will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are by The Good Funeral Home Inc., 108 Alto-Reste Park, Altoona.
thegoodfuneralhomeinc.com