Janet S. Jones, a longtime Boston community organizer and advocate for social justice, passed away on June 21.

Janet was born on Oct. 23, 1939, in Pennsylvania, to Marjorie Merrill Sloane and Joseph Sloane. She was the elder of two daughters; her sister, Margaret "Peggy" Sloane, was born four years later. Her family eventually moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where her father worked at the University of North Carolina.

As a young adult, Janet made her way to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the early 1970s, she was involved in rent control efforts in the city and active in the anti-war movement. She also served as a bus monitor and classroom aide during Boston's busing era.

Early in her career, Janet worked as a lifeguard and pool director at the West End House Boys & Girls Club in Allston. She successfully advocated for women to have access to nude swims, just as the men already did.

Following her passion for helping people, she earned a Master of Social Work degree from Salem State University.

Janet spent 17 years working at Westborough State Hospital, where she was deeply committed to ensuring patients felt understood and cared for. During her time there, Janet was a very active member of SEIU Local 509. As a union steward, she advocated tirelessly for the rights of her fellow workers.

A taekwondo maven, Janet was one of the founding members of the Boston Area Women's Self-Defense Collective, teaching self-defense at women's shelters, schools, and out in the community.

Her commitment to women's empowerment and health extended to her work on the early editions of Our Bodies, Ourselves, for which she co-authored the chapters "Women in Motion" and "Violence Against Women."

In the '70s, Janet met Davida Andelman, an outreach worker with the Somerville Youth Program at the time, beginning a partnership that would span 52 years and culminate in marriage in 2004.

Together, Janet and Davida made their home in Dorchester, where they founded the Greater Bowdoin-Geneva Neighborhood Association and remained deeply involved in numerous community causes.

Janet also co-founded the Dorchester-Roxbury Labor Committee, which promoted Boston jobs for Boston residents and worked to expand access to employment opportunities throughout the city, especially for people of color and women. Those efforts helped promote greater enforcement of these policies through the Boston Employment Commission, whose meetings Janet attended religiously for many years.

A lifelong lover of the water, Janet was a persistent advocate for swimming opportunities for young people and adults. She worked to address the long-running lack of a functioning swimming pool at the Holland School, pushing for resources that would allow neighborhood residents to learn to swim and encouraging older teens to become lifeguards.

Beyond her activism, Janet found joy in canoeing, exercise, lighthouses, hiking, and tending her vegetable garden each summer. And if you went to any museum with Janet, you had to be prepared – she could spend hours taking in every exhibit.

Over the course of their life together, Janet and Davida had four dogs and a few cats to boot.

Janet entered in-home hospice care last September through Care Dimensions. She passed away at her Dorchester home on June 21, 2026, after fulfilling her wish to age in place. She remained a force to be reckoned with until the very end.

She is survived by her spouse, Davida; her dog, Sky; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews who loved her very much.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, Care Dimensions, or to the charity of your choice.

A celebration of Janet's life will be held in the fall. Details to follow.