Janet (Hotchkiss) Wettenstein was born on July 14, 1949 in Rochester, New York and passed away suddenly on the evening of January 8, 2019 after a lengthy illness. She attended the New York State School for the Blind in Batavia, New York, and graduated from there in June, 1968. Her family lived on a farm outside of Rochester, and it was there that Janet developed her love of nature and the outdoors. She was a dog lover, having had five guide dogs during her life.
After graduating from high school, Janet spent several years in New York City, where she took transcription typing courses at the Lighthouse. She also met her husband there. They eventually moved to Syracuse. Shortly thereafter the marriage ended in divorce and Janet moved back to Rochester, where she spent the rest of her life. She was hired by the Monroe Developmental Center where she did transcription work for the next 41 years, retiring in January, 2018 because of ill health.
Janet’s parents helped her purchase a house in Rochester. They spent summers with her and lived in Florida during the winter. When they were unable to return to Florida, they lived with her fulltime until
their deaths and she took care of them. She stayed in touch with many of her childhood friends and they were always welcome at her house. She was always willing to help anybody anyway she could.
Janet was an active member of the New York State School for the Blind Alumni Association, having held several offices and attending reunions every year. She was also a member of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) for over 35 years. She hosted many of her chapter’s events, held several officer positions, and had a hand in running several state conventions. Until her health precluded her from traveling, Janet attended most state conventions and legislative weekends. She felt very badly that for the last couple years of her life she was unable to be in the loop as far as what was happening on the state level. She was treasurer of the Rochester Chapter at the time of her death.
Janet is survived by her sister-in-law who was living with her at the time of her death and a brother in Arizona and his family. She will be deeply missed by her many friends and colleagues.