Janet Essember

Heaven has another skier. GLOUCESTER- Janet Essember, 66, passed away on February 6, 2023, following a lengthy illness. Born in Salem on July 18, 1956, she was the loving daughter of the late Lawrence J. Essember, M.D. and the late Gertrude (Bugler) Essember. Janet was raised in Danvers. She graduated from Bishop Fenwick High School in 1974 and received her bachelor’s degree from University of New Hampshire, summa cum laude. Janet’s career focused on helping people. She was a Transplant Coordinator for the Liver Center at Mass General Hospital. Prior to that, she held various medical assistant positions at Mass General and the former Hunt Memorial Hospital in Danvers. Outside of work, Janet’s passion was her dogs. When able, she enjoyed hiking, rollerblading and cross-country skiing with her team of dogs. She especially loved dogsledding in Bradley Palmer State Park. In her younger days, Janet was an accomplished mogul skier. She grew up skiing Mount Whittier in New Hampshire. Despite almost total vision loss in her thirties, Janet skied the double black diamond, Birds of Prey mogul fields in Beaver Creek, Colorado. She is survived by her siblings, Mary Essember Peterson of Bozeman, Montana, Lawrence Essember, III and his wife, Sook of Peabody, Carol Fortin of Belfast, Maine and Trudy Almquist of Natick, her nieces and nephews, Kate Agenbroad and her husband, Nate, Laura French and her husband Rob, Sara Essember and her wife, Jessica Hurley, Steve Almquist and his wife, Laura, Colin and Nicholas Fortin and Tia and Diana Almquist, her great nieces and nephew, Fiona and Jacob French and Juliette and Norah Almquist her dear friend Cathy Burton. Her funeral service will be held at 10AM on Friday, February 17, 2023, at C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers. Burial will follow in Annunciation Cemetery, Danvers. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Janet’s name to Northeast Animal Shelter, 347 Highland Ave., Salem, MA, 01970.