Janet, beloved wife of David Bentley of Edmonton, AB passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 29, 2018 having achieved the age of 90 years.
Janet is survived by her children Bruce (Carol), Jennifer (Mike) Elliott and Carolyn (Jay) Reid.
She will be forever remembered by her seven grandchildren Cale and Jase Bentley, Lauren and Matthew Elliott, Afton, Paris and Eden Reid along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Janet was predeceased by her parents William and Esther Covey, her sister Shirley and brothers Kenneth, Ralph, William Jr. and Alan.
Life for Janet began in Biggar, Saskatchewan with frequent visits to the farm of Uncle Jim who gave her an appreciation and love for poetry at an early age. Part of a railroad family, she moved to Edmonton with them to attend the University of Alberta and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, then attended McTavish Business College. She worked for Imperial Oil Marketing in Edmonton, J. Arthur Rank in London, England and A. L. Trowbridge, the original developers of Sherwood Park.
In 1950 she met her future husband David Bentley at a wedding in Westlock, AB. They married in 1956 and celebrated 62 happy years together with a closely knit family.
Janet believed strongly in giving back to the community and did so by volunteering with many community groups, including the: Art Gallery of Alberta, Banff School of Advanced Management (the first female representative), Citadel Theatre, Devonian Gardens, Junior League-President 1967, University Alberta Board of Governors and Senate.
She funded the Janet Bentley Gallery at the new Art Gallery of Alberta in 2005 and with
David established a Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Alberta and a Family
Fund at the Edmonton Community Foundation. In 2016, she and David established the David and Janet Bentley High School Excellence Award under the Chartered Professional Accountants Education Foundation.
Family brought immense joy to Janet; she cherished time spent with her children and was thrilled to attend her grandchildren’s many sporting events or arts recitals. She had an excellent sense of humour, sharing lots of laughs and joking with her siblings while playing Hearts, the Covey family game of choice.
Janet treasured the extensive time she and David spent exploring the world with late friends Bill and Dorothy Astle on numerous European travels. One vacation highlight was a fun filled Adriatic cruise in 2010 with our entire family of 15. Many Christmases in Palm Desert, California together created wonderful memories for all of us.
Janet had a love for education, collecting art and antiques, golf and bridge.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to The Citadel Theatre, the David and Janet Bentley Fund at Edmonton Community Foundation or a charity of choice.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the Caregivers of Devonshire Mews for their love and kindness, as well as Dr. Gary Samycia for his compassion.
A Celebration of Janet’s Life will be held on Friday, April 20, 2018 at 2:00 pm at St Paul’s United Church 11526 – 76 Ave Edmonton, AB.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Janet Esther Bentley March 29 2018.source
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta