Janet Edith Garulay, née Kirsh, 57, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at her family home in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, surrounded by her family and pets. This was the conclusion of a battle with cancer lasting over four years.
Janet was born on April 27, 1967, in Providence, RI, to Janet and Fred Kirsch, who raised her through her early childhood. She was later taken in by her foster mother, Lenore Bavota. Janet attended Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, and then received her BA in English from Wheaton College. In 1990, she married Andrew Garulay in Dennis, MA, and together they spent close to 6 YEARS in Idaho, where they had their daughter, Manon, in 1996, before returning to Massachusetts in 1998. Over the course of her career, she worked in special education at DY High School, as a bakeshop manager at Stop and Shop, and as a banker at Rockland Trust, where she was happily employed for over a decade.
Outside of work, Janet had many hobbies, including the violin, crochet, baking, and making friends with every animal she met. Her most important hobby was writing; she was involved with a writers’ group, where she made many important friends, and she self-published a series of books called “Bakeshop Paranormal”(Amazon), beginning with the first volume, Freaking Forktados. The series is a paranormal comedy inspired by her experiences working at Stop and Shop. Janet was a devout Christian and attended First Congregational Church in Yarmouth.
Janet is survived by her husband, Andrew Garulay, her daughter, Manon Garulay, her brother, Fred Kirsch, her sister-in-law Nikki Kirsch, her nephew, Connor Eschman, and Manon’s partner, Brian Gosink. She is also survived by her foster family: parents Lenore and Woody Bavota, foster siblings Rima Marschke, Kate O’Connell, Richard O’Hearn, Colleen O’Hearn Bonnelly, and Janelle Bavota, and many nieces and. Her beloved dog, Zuza, stayed by her side throughout her entire battle with cancer, and continues to keep her husband company. Contact Andrew regarding Memorial details.