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November 16, 1911- May 5, 2001
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 Janet was born in Genoa, Italy November 16, 1911 to American parents Charles Will Wright, former Chief of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and Helen Bree Dunstan Wright, both from the Northern Peninsula of Michigan. Janet lived in Rome, Merano and Sardinia, Italy most her youth, but attended the Potomac School the year of 1919-1920 as a third grader. She returned to the Washington, D.C. area in 1927, and attended Miss Madeira�s School for one year, 1927-1928. She earned her A.B. degree from Vassar College in 1932, and thereafter did graduate study at the American University, taught piano and worked as a professional translator, as she was proficient in 5 languages.
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Janet married Allan Bradshaw Fay, grandson of Edward Allen Fay, Vice President of Gallaudet College in Washington D.C on March 31, 1934 at her parents home in Kenwood. In 1939 Allan and Janet purchased a new home in Wood Acres, Maryland that included the highest point west of the National Cathedral, and an unexcavated but former site where American Indians had lived. Numerous arrowheads and spear points were found in routine gardening.
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Janet was an active Girl Scout leader in the 1950�s and served on the PTA as Curricula Chair. She served as a Vestry member in the 1960�s at St. Dunstan�s Episcopal Church in Bethesda, Md. After her 16-year-old son Fred became paralyzed from a trapeze accident in their back yard, the family moved to Fort Sumner in 1962 into a wheelchair accessible house.
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From 1963 to 1981 Janet headed the Information and Referral Hotline for the National Capital Area Chapter of the National Paraplegia Foundation, now the Spinal Cord Injury Network. She was a Member of the D.C. Commissioners� Commission on the Employment of the Handicapped from 1964 to 1970. She was Chairman of the Architectural Barriers Project for the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area from 1964 to 1969, which published the first �Guide to Washington for the Handicapped� in 1965. She was a Member of the Montgomery County Commission to Promote Employment of the Handicapped from1966-1970 and from 1972-1979. She was a Member of The President�s Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped from 1967 to 1976. Her efforts on behalf of people with disabilities were recognized and lauded on numerous occasions. Janet received awards from the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, the Easter Seal Society, the NARH, and in 1983 the coveted People to People �One of a Kind� Award given by The President�s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities.
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In 1978 Janet transferred her letter of membership to the more charismatic Episcopal Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, VA, but returned to St. Dunstan�s in the 1980�s as it too at that time was touched by renewal.
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Janet cared for her husband Allan at home with help from the Vince Lombardi Hospice during his three-year bout with lung cancer until his death in 1981. Subsequently, Janet continued on with her many activities, including visiting family and friends, hosting a home Bible study and maintaining an active tennis membership at the Kenwood Country Club, courtesy of her nephew Ashby Chamberlin.
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In 1991, Janet suffered a devastating stroke that left her both hemiplegic and cognitively impaired. After a brief stay at Sibley Hospital, and the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Janet returned to her home for one year. Recognizing a need for more comprehensive care, she then courageously moved to the Collington Episcopal Life Care Community in Mitchellville where she lived out her days. She stated, �I�m as happy here as I would be anywhere.� Her Christian faith sustained her and was a great inspiration to her family and those who had the privilege of knowing her. She died May 5, 2001 at the age of 89 from heart failure.
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Janet is survived by her children Mrs. Jean Dunstan Fay Depp (10/20/36) of Waxhaw, NC; Mrs.Margaret Lyle Fay Pippin (2/15/41) of Branson, MO; Frederick Allan Fay, Ph.D. (9/12/44) of Concord, MA; and Brewster Wright Fay, Ph.D. (9/4/46) of Narberth, PA. She is also survived by 20 living grand children, and sixteen great-grandchildren, with more on the way. She is survived by her brother, Thomas W. D.Wright of Washington D.C, and Beatrice Wright McKellar (Mrs. Robert B.) of Aiken, SC. Her brother Frederick Dunstan Wright of Herndon, VA is deceased.
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The best appreciation we can offer God for the privilege of knowing Janet is to allow the Holy Spirit who inspired her to inspire us to be both hearers and doers of Jesus� Living Word.
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In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts designated as such may be given to:
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American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
1819 H Street NW, Suite 330
Washington, DC 20006
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American Bible Society
1865 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
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Collington Episcopal Life Care Community Life Care Fund
10450 Lottsford Road
Mitchellville, MD 20721
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Forward In Faith North America
2905 Lackland, Suite D
Fort Worth, TX 76116
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Wycliffe Bible Translators USA
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200
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