Janet Lee Kantor

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our cherished mother, Janet Lee Kantor of Pismo Beach, CA, on February 22nd, 2026.  She will be deeply missed by her husband of 57 years, Francis (Frannie) Kantor, her 3 daughters and their life partners, Catherine & Tony, Jennifer & Rob and Jessica & Steven.  Life for her girls will not be the same without her big heart and generous ways.

Our mother was born on July 17th, 1946, in New Bedford, MA.  Janet was predeceased by her parents, Catherine (Parrot) and John Pendergast, along with all her siblings; John, Phyllis (Boucher), William, Jean (Quigley), Kay (Guliano), Mary (Muldoon), James and Robert.  She was fiercely loyal to her family and where she was raised, “you can take the girl outta New Bedford but not the New Bedford outta the girl”.  She was never the same after losing all her siblings within a 5 year period. We believe she never emotionally recovered. Her heart belonged to the East Coast as she requested the Atlantic Ocean as her final resting place. 

Janet was loved and respected throughout her working career. Her longest position was at Sage Publishing, where she retired from in 2015. She was hardworking, kind and known to be very helpful.  Her career was customer focused and was known for her ability to get things done. Our mother liked everyone and had both patience and fairness to work with people from all walks of life. She made lifelong friendships with her special coworkers.  

Mom was an avid reader, especially of romance novels. She had a unique way of reading the ending first as she always hoped for a happy ending. My mom enjoyed her retirement with my father in the Central Coast of California.  My parents would start their day reading the paper and doing crossword puzzles.   Daily outings included going to the many beaches and restaurants in the area. Time with her girls was also so special, shopping, lunch, movies, mani-pedi days, and more shopping! She was beyond generous with her girls teaching us to be charitable, kind and honest. She had a wicked sharp tongue that often was inappropriate but made us laugh until our bellies hurt. 

She was unwell the last few years of her life. Her mind began to fail her, ultimately taking her too soon. Words cannot begin to express the profound loss we are feeling. There is no coping mechanism that kicks in to heal our hearts but by God’s Grace time heals all. Janet’s belief in God gave her peace and hope that one day she would be reunited with her family. Mom, our wish for you is that you are in Heaven with the people you love and the people that love you. You are in our hearts forever.

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