Jeanette Elaine Goodrich Burnett
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Jeanette Elaine Goodrich Burnett, the loving mother of five children, a psychiatric social worker and a longtime community volunteer, died Saturday, January 23, 2021, at her Ashlar Village residence in Wallingford, Conn. She was 94. Jeanette, who was known by family and friends as "Jan," lived most of her life in Hyde Park, N.Y., with her beloved husband of 64 years, Bruce B. Burnett Sr., who passed away in December 2014. Born in Albany, N.Y., to Olive Dillenbeck Goodrich and Dana Clement Goodrich, Jan attended Albany-area schools with her younger brother, Dana Jr., whom she adored. Both Dana and his wife, Betty, predeceased her. Jan attended Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., where she met Bruce, the love of her life, during a student sing-along that included engineering students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where Bruce was also a student. Jan graduated with her B.A. in 1948. She and Bruce were married in 1950 in Ridgewood, N.J., and they moved to a number of states over the next 11 years as they followed Bruce's professional career. The couple finally settled in Hyde Park in 1961, where they resided for more than 57 years. During those early years, Jan chose to be a stay-at-home mom, as she and Bruce built a happy life with their five children, with whom they spent many happy hours traveling, skiiing, hiking and sailing. In the 1970s, Jan enrolled in the master's program at SUNY Albany's School of Social Work, where she received her master's degree in clinical social work in 1976. She later worked as a psychiatric social worker at the Dutchess County Department of Mental Hygiene, now the Department of Behavioral & Community Health. She was a member of the New York State Society of Clinical Social Work Psychotherapists for many years. Jan retired in 1990 to enjoy time with her husband, her children and her grandchildren. While living in Hyde Park, Jan served on the Hyde Park Library Board, and was an Elder and Deacon for a period of time during her family's long association with the First Presbyterian Church in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Jan was for years a Cub Scout leader, and frequently volunteered as a Hyde Park poll worker on election days. She felt strongly about supporting the work of Planned Parenthood in Poughkeepsie, where she was a volunteer. In her later years, with her husband, she helped deliver Meals on Wheels in Hyde Park. Jan was also a member of the Poughkeepsie-area chapter of PEO International, Inc., an organization focused on helping women advance through education. In 2018, several years after Bruce Sr.'s death, Jan moved to Ashlar Village, where she enjoyed her lovely pond view, bird-watching, reading biographies and the New York Times. She was visited often, and with loving devotion, by her family until her death. Jan is survived by her children, Bruce B. Burnett Jr. and his wife, Debra, of Palm Bay, Fla.; Teddie Burnett Sleight and her husband, Peter, of Willington, Conn.; David L. Burnett and his partner Deborah Daughtry, of Queens, N.Y.; Eric H. Burnett and his wife, Susan, of Guilford, Conn.; and Sarah D. Burnett, of Jericho, Vt. Jan is also survived by nine beloved grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, in addition to many cherished nieces and nephews. Due to limitations imposed by the pandemic, funeral services will be private, with a graveside memorial service planned for later in the spring. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association in Jan's memory. Arrangements were directed by The Wallingford Funeral Home. www.wallingfordfh.com.