Janet Anita Chester

Janet Anita Chester passed away on May 17, 2022 at the age of 76 after a long, courageous battle with a neurological illness called Corticobasal Degenerative Disorder, which is a rare form of ALS. She is survived by her husband Dolph Jay Chester, her daughter Denise B. Chester, and son Michael D. Chester as well as her two granddaughters; Emma G. Gwaltney and Eliana S. Martin, her brother Robert O. Olsen, and sisters Arlene M. Ferrier, and Barbra J. Corstange. Janet was the youngest of four children in the Olsen family. Janet’s mother died at the young age of 45, and her oldest sister, Arlene, helped raise Janet. They grew up in the small town of Templeton, Massachusetts, where her father owned and operated the family restaurant. They all worked at their dad’s restaurant as their first job. As a child, she learned the art of tap dancing and performed on stage. She was an accomplished pianist and loved to play classical music. She also learned to play Polka music on the accordion. Janet’s love for music followed her throughout her entire life. She attended college in Boston, where she met and married her first husband, Raymond LeBlanc. They were married for 6 years, and after they divorced, Janet enlisted into the U.S. Navy. She was stationed at the Norfolk Naval Air Station where she met and fell in love with her second and final husband, Dolph. They were married in August 1978. They had two children, and Janet raised them as a stay-at-home mom for many years. During that time, she also attended night school at Tidewater Community College, using her GI Bill, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Associate’s Degree in Secretarial Science. Janet and her family were members of the Simonsdale Presbyterian Church, where her love for music continued as she was a member of the church choir and would also play the piano. As the children became older, she began working at the Portsmouth General Hospital in the Medical Records Department. When Portsmouth General closed, she began working at the Bon Secours Maryview Hospital in Portsmouth, from which she retired in 2013. Janet was a vibrant and gentle soul, and one of the kindest people you would ever meet. Throughout her life she would go out of her way to help others, and she was loved by all. Even after discovering she was terminally ill, she rarely complained and still thought of others before herself. She also loved horses and rode them as a child and as an adult. She owned an Arabian horse named Alpine Fire and babied him like he was her own child. In addition, she loved her cats, flower gardens, and birds - especially hummingbirds. She was also a fantastic cook and would toil endlessly during holidays to feed her family and friends. She hosted many family gatherings over the years and our house was regularly an area of holiday celebrations. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. The family will receive friends in Loving Funeral Home Sunday from 2-4 pm and a funeral service will be held at 1 pm Monday May 23, 2022, at the Albert G. Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Suffolk.