Obituary of Janet H. Moeller
Janet H. Moeller, age 88, passed away on Friday, October 13, 2023, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, New Jersey.
Born and raised in Plainfield, Janet later moved to Watchung, where she spent her formative years. In her youth, Janet's mother would take her to New York City, where she pursued her passion for ballet and tap dancing. She was a gifted dancer, demonstrating an early flair for grace and elegance. A proud graduate of North Plainfield High School, Janet was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005, a testament to her athletic achievements in swimming.
It was during her years at North Plainfield High School that she met the love of her life, John David Moeller, at a local square dance. The two quickly fell in love, marrying in 1955. A small, white, Cape Cod house along Country Club Road in Bridgewater was home to the newlyweds and their young family before settling in Martinsville in 1959, where she lived with her husband and family for over 63 years.
Never one to sit still for long, summer vacations were a time to explore new recreational activities. Family camping trips included dancing at bluegrass festivals, canoeing Maine lakes, whitewater rafting West Virginia rivers, horseback trail rides, and always swimming. On weekends she loaded the family station wagon and headed for the Jersey shore to join the families of her sisters Sue and Betty for sun, sand, and cotton candy on the boardwalk and beaches of Seaside Heights. An avid traveler, Janet explored the world post-retirement, from European adventures to Caribbean cruises. A nature enthusiast and an animal lover, her yard was a gathering ground for local wildlife, and she worked towards the establishment of Washington Valley Park, thus preserving the woodlands that bordered her home in Martinsville for future generations.
Janet's adventurous spirit didn't wane with age. She traces her lifelong love of aquatics to swimming with her father Emil - “the swimmer in the family” - at the Plainfield YMCA. In her 40s, she took on the role of a part-time lifeguard at the Somerville YMCA. She then joined the nascent U.S. Masters Swimming program, an international program run by the same federation that oversees Olympic swimming. She competed in her first swim meet at Princeton in 1973 and has been continuously swimming since. Throughout her swimming journey, Janet regularly visited the Somerset Valley YMCA pool in Bridgewater and participated in local, national, and international competitions. Janet proudly ranked among the world’s top 10 swimmers in her age group in the Masters program, having competed in about 40 states. Her tenacity and spirit were showcased when she was named the overall champion at the 2006 World Senior Games in Utah, securing seven gold and two bronze medals in the nine events she entered. Janet was renowned for her perseverance, always finishing her races, even if it meant occasionally pausing to catch her breath. Janet also embraced the wonders beneath the waves, becoming a licensed scuba diver alongside her son, Jeff.
One of the most defining moments in Janet's life came in the early 1980s when, at nearly 50 years old, she chose to return to academia to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. Enrolling at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, she graduated in 1985 with a degree in English and a minor in Elementary Education. She then taught at local parochial and public schools.
Beginning as a young child in Plainfield, who walked herself to church every Sunday, Janet’s active involvement in her religion was a lifelong journey. As a mother of five, she served as the PTA president at St. Mary’s Bound Brook and worked as church secretary, and religious education instructor, and subsequently served as the Director of Religious Education at Blessed Sacrament Church in Martinsville until her retirement. Her unwavering faith led her to become a Eucharistic Minister offering communion at Blessed Sacrament church and RW Johnson Hospital in Somerville for those who could not travel to a church.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband, John David Moeller, and her son, Thomas Moeller.
Janet's legacy continues through her children: Jay Moeller (Kathy Fuller), Jeff Moeller, Chris Moeller (Philomena), and Marie Moeller. She was a proud grandmother to Michael, Christopher, Colton, Rory, Faith, Brandon, and Dylan, and a great-grandmother to Riley and Loki.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, October 19, 2023, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, October 20, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 1890 Washington Valley Road, Martinsville, NJ. She will be laid to rest at Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield, NJ.
