Obituary of Janet Louise Kirk

Janet Louise (Jordan) Kirk – Nurse, Educator, Friend, Beloved Wife and Graceful Lady

Born June 3, 1947 in Berwick - Died April 20, 2025 in Windsor

Janet grew up in New Minas in a close-knit and loving family. The open fields and orchards provided a setting for play and games with her numerous neighborhood friends. It was the well-remembered idyllic fifties and sixties when family, church and school were a fundamental part of everyday life.

In 1968, Janet graduated from the Yarmouth School of Nursing as a Registered Nurse. While Janet typically hid her light under the proverbial bushel we are pleased to note that she placed 10^th in the province among all nurses writing their exams that year. While studying part time she also worked a year as evening supervisor at the Wolfville Hospital.

Andy Kirk convinced her to marry him and they began a marriage (May 3^rd, 1969) that each of them considered the very best decision ever made.

Janet loved learning. She became a teacher and graduated from Acadia University with her BA, BEd. and MEd. and later earned a second Masters degree from Mount St. Vincent. Throughout her life Janet truly exemplified lifelong learning.

Janet began her teaching career at Newport District Elementary School and in 1975 she was hired to become a teacher at the Hants Vocational School, thus beginning a lifelong commitment to and love of adult education. In 1985, she was selected to be the principal of the Hants Campus thereby becoming the first woman principal in the Vocational School system in Nova Scotia. During the next 16 years Janet held a number of administrative positions within the vocational system and with its successor the Nova Scotia Community College. Included within these positions were her service as principal of three campuses (Hants, Kingstec and Truro) and her leadership in the establishment of the Portfolio College. During this time the vocational system transitioned to the modern-day Nova Scotia Community College and Janet was always appreciative of the opportunity to be one of a number of educational leaders involved in planning and executing this exciting and important educational initiative.  

Janet’s leadership style was firm and fair. She had high standards for herself and her fellow educators and they got things done. As one of her nephews recently wrote: Janet was really about “doing the right thing; making things better”.

Acadia University was very dear to Janet’s heart, and she became very involved with Acadia as a volunteer, serving as a member and then as President of the Associated Alumni of Acadia University for four years. This role was followed by her appointment to the Board of Governors of Acadia, where she served for 11 years - often as an active member of the executive and as a member and sometimes chair of many committees.

Two awards which served to acknowledge her commitment to institutions of higher learning were the Leadership Excellence Award (2002) from the NSCC and the Distinguished Alumni Award (2008) from Acadia.  

Janet brought her commitment, her work ethic and her leadership skills to other volunteer organizations. While a vocational school principal in three Nova Scotian communities she was a member of three Rotary clubs and, as well, served on the boards of the Elms, Family and Children’s Services and the Windsor Board of Trade to mention only a few.

Family and friends were extremely important to Janet.  She committed many hours to cultivating and enhancing her relationships with these individuals who were so very important to her.

Janet always maintained a very close relationship with her nursing classmates and was one of the chief organizers of the many reunions held by that small but mighty group. In addition, serving as the class scribe permitted Janet to exercise her creative strengths in a literary fashion.

Janet greatly enjoyed those summer days spent at the family summer cottage in Lake Annis where her many friends will remember her with great affection and appreciation. While in residence in “LA” she loved to kayak and canoe, but she particularly enjoyed swimming where her ventures to the middle of the lake often caused her family substantial angst. The hosting of groups, large and small, brought her immense pleasure, and to have 50 or more guests on the front lawn involved in the annual regatta, the cross lake swim and various boating races always brought a smile to her face.

Although they did not have children of their own, Janet and Andy were lucky enough to form longtime and extremely close relationships with Ted Upshaw and Randy Russell (and their families), basketball players whom Andy coached during their school days. They were always proud to proclaim that they had children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren through choice by all involved.        

Janet is survived by her husband of nearly 56 years, Andrew “Andy” Kirk; sons, Robert “Ted” (Karen) Upshaw and Randy (Christine) Russell; grandchildren, Graham Upshaw, Sean Upshaw, Kirsty (Steve) Bodnarchuk, Desiree Upshaw, Tieasha Downey, Zachary Russell and Olivia Russell; great grandchildren, Amelia Louise Bodnarchuk and Wren Bodnarchuk; nieces and nephews, Michael Cassidy, Talli (Craig) Perry, Kerri Leier (Sam Plante), Meredith (Matthew) Vair, Christopher Jordan and Robert (Kerry) Jordan; grand nieces and nephews, Jordan (Sarah) Cassidy, Xander Leier, EvaJean Leier, Hannah Vair, Benjamin Vair, Margaret Jordan, Jeanette Jordan and Juniper Jordan; sister, Marion (Scott) Leier, Port Williams; brother, Calvin (Joyce) Jordan, New Westminster, BC and sister-in-law, Ruth Kirk, Ottawa.

Janet was predeceased by her parents, Philip Randall Jordan and Bessie Eilean (Ogilvie) Jordan; as well as her sister, Carole Cassidy and nephew, Timothy Cassidy.  

Her family would like to thank the staff of the Units 200 and 500 at the Hants Community Hospital and the staff at Dykeland Lodge for their care and support during these recent months. A special thank you to Kathy Wilkins for the caring and compassion which she showed Janet during the past three months.

Arrangements for cremation have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., Windsor (902-798-8317), where visitation will be held 7-9 p.m., Sunday, April 27. A service celebrating Janet’s life will be held 11 a.m., Monday, April 28 in Windsor United Church, 613 King St., Windsor, Rev. Chris Matheson officiating. A reception will follow in the Church Annex. Donations in memory of Janet may be made to NSCC Foundation, PO Box 1153, Halifax, NS B3K 2T3; Windsor United Church, PO Box 2037, Windsor, NS B0N 2T0. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca