Janet C. Hutchinson, of South Egremont, died peacefully at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, Mass, on the morning of June 14, 2025, surrounded by family. Her final waking words were “I love you,” and a little while later, she smiled in her sleep and said simply, “Wow!”
Jan had far exceeded all medical expectations, living a very full and stubbornly independent life while in the advanced stages of heart failure. She even attended a yoga class just eight days before her death.
Jan was born during World War II in Hartford, Conn. She was the second of five children born to Howard Cady and Marjory Cady (née Arnold). She grew up in a warm, witty, literary, creative, and loving family. They moved 12 times in the first 10 years of Jan’s life, living on both coasts as her father rose through the professional ranks in the publishing world.
Jan received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she studied psychology and sociology. During graduate school at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, she turned her focus to literature.
Jan married her first husband, Michael McCoy, and moved with him to Fort Collins at age 21. Although they were divorced a few years later, they have remained lifelong friends. She met her second husband, Jamie Hutchinson (the father of her three daughters), in 1969 and they drove cross country, saw some of the great musicians of their time, and enjoyed their hippie days. After Jamie finished his Ph.D., they moved from Albuquerque, N.M., to the Berkshires, drawn by work opportunities and the newly opened Waldorf school, which all three daughters attended through eighth grade. Although they separated after 20 years of marriage, they remained very close and loving friends. Jamie accompanied Jan through years of illness and was with her at the moment of her death.
Jan said she was proudest of writing a poem a day for over 23 years. She described it as both a spiritual and an artistic practice. She took great joy in encouraging other people to write. For the past 14 years, during National Poetry Month in April, Jan sent poetry prompts daily to a mailing list of over 300 people who joined her in writing.
Jan never focused on publishing her work, but she described poetry in her lifetime as “The central pole around which the whole circus revolved.”
After raising her children, Jan worked for 32 years at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in various roles, including as an admissions counselor and writing workshop leader. The highlight of her career was being an academic tutor and advisor and meeting brilliant students from all over the world.
The Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire was like another family to Jan through the years. She was a longtime member of her Unitarian Universalist community, even serving as president for some time.
Jan was a deeply whimsical and creative mind. She had a way of seeing the mystical in even the most ordinary events. She wrote:
I am really just
a little old lady
living alone
at the raggedy edge
of a minor village,
but the window in my heart
opens
to let the outer become the inner
and the inner become the outer.
On a good day
the Light is more than the light
seen with the eyes.
But talking about it
isn’t being there,
so I must go now.
Jan is survived by more than 8,400 poems; by her ex-husband Jamie Hutchinson of Housatonic; and by her three daughters, Sarah Hardcastle (Evan) of North Egremont, Meg Hutchinson of Concord, Mass., and Tessa Adams (Mike) of Great Barrington. Jan is also survived by her three step-grandchildren, Tanisha, Hezekiah, and Mya Adams; two step-great-grandchildren, Quinnci and Aminah; two sisters, Anne Cady of Middlebury, Vt., and Susan Hayward of Montpelier, Vt.; her four granddogs, Effie, June, Otto, and Georgie; and many nieces and nephews in Vermont, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Montana. She was predeceased by her sister Ellen Cady of New Hampshire and brother Peter Cady of Vermont, as well as her parents Marjory and Howard Cady of Vermont.
The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Jan’s cardiology team at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Dr. Cecilia Berardi and NP Shawn Selby; to her PCP at East Mountain Medical, NP Dawn Scarbro; to Fairview Hospital and Dr. Jeremy Stoepker; and to the incredible team at the Care Dimensions Hospice House who cared for her with such compassion and dignity. Gratitude is also extended to Jan’s many dear friends and colleagues, who were unfailingly supportive and helpful during her illness.
A celebration of Jan’s life will take place Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 3 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire at 1089 Main Street, Housatonic, MA. All are welcome to join in celebrating Jan’s life, followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Jan with a donation to a cause you are passionate about that helps to heal the world.
