Janet Went Skakum

Janet Went Skakum of Bound Brook, NJ, passed away at the Center For Hope Hospice in Scotch Plains on Sunday, August 20, 2023. She was 73.

Born in Orlando, FL, on August 5, 1950, Janet grew up in Chatham Township. She graduated from Chatham Township High School in 1968 and attended Mitchell College in New London, CT. In 1978, she married Thomas Skakum, and together they had three children – Sarah, Stephen, and Jonathan. The family resided in Chatham Township for 30 years.

Janet dedicated over 28 years of her life to working at the Library of the Chathams, where she most recently held the position of Head of the Circulation Department. A committed member of the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, she contributed by singing in the choir and serving as a deacon.

She found solace in her passions – reading, music, and the outdoors, especially tending to her garden. However, her deepest affection was reserved for her family, and she cherished every moment spent with her three grandchildren.

Janet is preceded in death by her husband Thomas and her parents Ethel and Roger Went. She was the beloved mother of Sarah Craggs and husband Robert, Stephen and wife Jessica, and Jonathan and wife Michelle. She was loving “Grammy” to Kendall, Jack, and Oliver. Janet is also survived by her twin sister Nancy Macaulay, her brother Douglas Went, and their families, as well as numerous extended family members.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations in Janet’s honor be made to the Library of the Chathams or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org).