Janet Key Obituary

Janet was an amazing friend and colleague. We met in the auspicious days of trying to set up a university program from scratch on a desert island in Doha, flying by the seat of our pants for two crazy years with Northwestern’s first cohort of students in Qatar. She was an dedicated teacher and mentor; the students respected her immensely. She was also a steady companion to laugh with, to cry with, to have adventures with, and to talk with. She not only tolerated my youthful drama with smirks and chuckles, but was always up for an adventure to egg me on. She organized an American Thanksgiving in a bedouin tent in a sand dune one year, and while we had booked an extremely adventurous Thanksgiving in Yemen the following year, we cancelled and ended up dining over Prosecco and prosciutto in Rome instead, somehow having our wits returned to us in a moment of last-minute sanity. She came to the Doha airport the morning I was loading my horse on a cargo plane to leave the country, pretending she only wanted to snag my coveted red car from the leasing agency for herself, but clearly was there because she knew I was a nervous wreck and needed a calm smile and a hug of encouragement. I can still see her there, sitting in the airport Costa coffee sipping away at her beverage while she waved me off towards the security line with a bucket and bridle in my hand, still smiling and trying not to laugh at my disorganized departure chaos. I remember laughing with her later in Washington and Evanston when she was back for the summers, and celebrating the insanity of the early NUQ days when we were at the students’ graduation in Doha. I will always be grateful for the friendship she offered during the unsteadiness of my early professional life. As colleagues we were both teaching the students, but I was also her life student, and will always give thanks for her thanksgivings. May you rest in peace, Janet, and your memory will always be a blessing to all of us.

May her name forever be a blessing

I've know Janet for over 30 years. I loved her intelligence, her love of art and travel, and her dry sense of humor. She was an excellent photographer, on top of being an amazing writer. She and I met during a rough part of our lives. We supported each other and built a life long friendship. I visited her when I could at Norwood Crossing. It was hard to watch Parkinson's take her. It made me happy to see her feisty until the end. May her memory be a blessing to us all.

I'm so sad to hear of your passing. I really enjoyed working with you in the start-up NU-Q where colleagues became friends so quickly. You always had a great dry wit and were fun to be with. May you rest in peace!

I never saw you without a smile on your face. You were always kind, thoughtful and funny. You gave life a run for its money, and you conquered the world. Rest in peace, Janet!

I was talking to my husband about you the other day. I met you when I first started at Medill in Qatar & you really prepared me for life- you made us all stronger. You will always be with us May you rest in peace. Praying for you

Janet, I have been missing you a long time already. Every so often something you said or did pops into my mind and leaves me glad and sad. Thank you for making my life more.

Janet I will miss our times together after work at your home in Qatar where we snacked on wine and cheese (you introduced me to Pino Grigio!). I will miss your wit and spunk and laughing with you. Your students loved and respected you. It was an honor to work with you at NUQ. You did legacy work there and the students will continue to keep your legacy alive. Rest in power my friend. Love, LaKisha Tillman.

Janet's infectious laugh is sticking with me. If I remember right, in Doha, she had great pride in plants on the windows of her apartment. In a development across the street from a mega-grocery store that took me 3-4 visits for me to find the unit. Our cocktail hours at Richard & Trish's hotel kept us sane and communal. I treasure those days and Janet's memorable presence in welcoming me. Rest where peace resides. Jack

I knew Janet well during her Medill teaching days ... in fact, I hired her. She had a fabulous career, and was a fine role model for many students. Rest in peace, Janet.