Obituary of Janet Susan Berney Hunt

Ms. Janet B. Hunt (née Janet Berney) died peacefully at home after a long illness on November 10, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 61.

Janet is survived by husband, H. Thomas Hunt, surviving children, Emily Hunt, residing in New York, Stephanie Hunt, of Montpelier, Vermont, and Allison Kranyak, of Greenville South Carolina, and sisters; Elizabeth Berney of Great Neck, New York and Diane Gluck of White Plains, New York.  She is preceded in death by her beloved daughter Jennifer, of Charlotte.

Janet was born on April 27, 1957 in the Bronx, New York to Henry & Roslyn Berney. She graduated from the Cornell University in 1978 with B.S. degree in industrial and labor relations, and from University of Pennsylvania law school in 1981. She married Tom Hunt, whom she met in law school in 1981. She had an illustrious career as a lawyer, having clerked for federal district judge John P. Fullam after law school, and then working for several years for the prestigious Philadelphia law firm of Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis before joining Travelers Mortgage Services, Inc., where she ultimately served as Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel.  Upon Travelers’ acquisition by the General Electric Company, she assumed the role of Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, GE Capital Mortgage Services, Inc.  She then joined Federal National Mortgage Association, commonly known as Fannie Mae, as Vice President & Deputy General Counsel.  In 2007 she and her family moved to Charlotte, where she finished her career as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Bank of America.  Janet was always particularly proud of the example she set for her children, juggling her role as a mother and her career with finesse and aplomb, and sharing family responsibilities with her husband, Tom.  She and her job sharing partner were featured in the September, 2003 issue of Diversity and the Bar as a paradigm for those female attorneys successfully managing their work/life balance.

Janet’s children will always fondly remember Janet as a warm, loving mother who lead by example, gave the best advice any mother could give without any pre-judgement, and who inspired her daughters to become independent and strong young women.  She had a kind sense of humor even into her last days and stayed strong always in her battle against her disease.

During the period of her long illness, Janet was bat mitzvahed after a strenuous course of study, and also became accomplished tournament bridge player, achieving the rank of bronze Life Master in 2018.  She played a mean game of scrabble, and could always be counted on by her children, husband, friends and colleagues for the quality of her sage and well-thought out counsel and advice. 

Her funeral will be at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, November 11, 2018 at Temple Beth-El, 5101 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC with interment at the Hebrew Cemetery. Rabbi Judith Schindler will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Janet’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Jennifer Andrea Hunt Special Needs Fund, Temple Beth El, 5101 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28226 (a foundation established by Janet’s family in honor of Janet’s late daughter Jennifer, which is used to provide support for those students with special needs). The family would like to thank Dr. Reza Nazemzadeh; Dr. Stuart Burri; Dr. Jane Harrell; Dr. John Doty; and Dr. Gary P. Frenette for their efforts and dedication to Janet’s care over these several difficult years.