After a long life that took her far from her roots in Brooklyn and allowed her to travel the world, Janet Frances Cusick died on October 31, 2020, at her home in Oakmont, California. She was 92.

Jan, and her husband Charles Cusick, moved to Santa Rosa in the 90’s after a life spent roaming the world, first in service of the State Department, and then, after Chuck retired, for their own pleasure and discovery.  Jan‘s passion for travel started when she was young; while still in college she lied about her age to become a Pan Am stewardess, living in New Orleans and traveling frequently to South America.  She used to delight in telling people this story, as well as in explaining how much travel had changed since those days, when they had time on the long flights to play chess with the handful of passengers flying at that time. Together, Jan and Chuck lived in at least eight countries and traveled to dozens more. While they enjoyed most countries they lived in, Lebanon, Morocco and Italy were some of Jan’s particular favorites.

In addition to travel, Jan had many passions, which she shared enthusiastically with her friends, including writing, cooking, and gardening.  During her years in Santa Rosa she was an active member of several writers’ groups.  She was serious about her writing, enjoying the tools it offered for creativity, introspection, and documentation.  She loved the dialogue and learning that took place with her fellow writers when they shared their work.

Jan’s enthusiasm for food was linked to her love of travel. She often said she didn’t discover good food until New Orleans, and she used her cooking skills to revisit far-away places and cultures, from Moroccan tajines to French stews and Indian curries.  Travel, writing, and good food came together in Morocco when she helped develop a book of recipes that the family still enjoys. 

Jan loved to entertain, her years spent in the Foreign Service having honed her skills as a hostess, and to share good food with good friends.  Italian and Chinese food were usually pretty close to the top of her personal preference list however, and her cure for just about any bad day was a simple little bowl of spaghetti.

When Jan moved to Oakmont a few years ago she fell in love with all the activities it had to offer, and the opportunities to gather and connect with her community.  She became an avid consumer of a host of them, from college courses to the Garden Club and the Sunday Symposium.  Jan also really loved participating in the Alliance Francaise, where she enthusiastically pursued her ongoing quest to perfect her mastery of the French language, a quest she began when living in Paris in the mid-70’s.

Jan was blessed with good health up until the moment of her sudden death. Less than a week prior she had stayed overnight at Bodega Bay with a friend and they enjoyed walking the beach together. She passed on from this life exactly as she wanted, in her own home and living independently. She is survived by her three daughters, Jessica Cusick, Jennifer Lai, and Kerinia Cusick; her two sons-in-law, Chun Lai and Ben Muniz; and her two beloved grandsons Jared and Simon Lai.