Janet Bennignus Fair

Janet Bennignus Fair of Huntsville, Texas, passed away peacefully at her second home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 21, 2023, at the age of 84. Born in Gary, Indiana, on December 14, 1938, to Thomas Theodore Ott and Nancy Jane (Gamble) Ott, she lived in Huntsville for 50 years. Janet graduated from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. While living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio, she met the love of her life, Frank Fair. They were married on February 22, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts, and shortly thereafter moved to Athens, Georgia, where Frank was a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia. There, Frank and Janet became involved in the civil rights movement, helping to publish an alternative newspaper, the United Free Press. In 1971, they moved to Huntsville when Sam Houston State University hired Frank as a professor of philosophy. A lifelong educator, Janet's commitment to teaching and to her students was apparent to all who knew her. She graduated with a B.A. in Humanities from SHSU in 1977, received an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from SHSU in 1983, and received an M.A. in English from SHSU in 1990. From 1979 to 1988, she taught preschool, kindergarten, first grade, and fourth grade at the Community Child Care Center, the Little Red Schoolhouse, Samuel W. Houston Elementary, and Scott Johnson Elementary. While working on her master's degree in English, she taught composition at SHSU, then taught English and French at Conroe High School from 1989 to 1991, and English at Huntsville High School from 1991 to 2002. She was named the Huntsville ISD Educator of the Month in December 1999 and named Huntsville ISD Teacher of the Year for the 1998-99 school year. In 2002 she was invited to help establish the new Student Advising and Mentoring (SAM) Center at SHSU. She very much enjoyed working alongside wonderful colleagues to help direct students in academic difficulty back on the road to graduation. Her work was so well thought of that in 2011 she received a "Sammy" award from the SHSU Student Government for what she had done for students. She retired from the SAM Center in May of 2017. Janet also served as a board member for Huntsville ISD and the Community Child Care Center, helped coach softball and the Huntsville High School academic team, and was active in Girl Scouts and at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. Janet's quick wit and swift retorts made everyone around her laugh. She had the power to charm almost anyone she met. She never let pride get in the way of her being kind. Janet is survived by her husband, Frank Fair; her children, Kenneth and Joanna Fair; her grandchildren, Nathan and Emma Lupinetti and Emily Fair; and many much-loved in-laws, nephews, and nieces. Janet's services will be held on Saturday, April 1, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Huntsville, TX. The rosary will be said at 12:30PM, funeral mass at 1:00PM, reception following, and burial at Mayes Addition of Oakwood Cemetery at 3:30PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the C.O.M.E. organization or Good Shepherd Mission in Huntsville, TX, or especially for those not in Huntsville, Janet supported the Save The Children organization, which can accept online donations. Memorial condolences to the family may be made at www.shmfh.com.

Janet Bennignus Fair

December 14, 1938 - March 21, 2023