Janet S. Keating

Janet Sarah (Pittenger) Keating, 77, born December 10, 1946, in Rockford, IL to Anita (Kissel) Pittenger and Kenneth Davis Pittenger. She died December 8, 2024, in hospice care at OSF St. Anthony’s.

She attended Rockford Public Schools: Montague, Lincoln MS, graduating from Rockford East High School in 1964. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University in 1968 in sociology.

She began a teaching career at Wilson MS helping to develop a pre behavior disorder program for a student’s last chance before being asked to leave school. She transitioned to a teacher in the pilot family living program as a team teacher with Tom Lundgren. She had completed her Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling earlier and transitioned to being a counselor at Wilson until the birth of her son, Nicholas, in 1981.

After taking a year of maternity leave, she returned to her career in education at Eisenhower MS as a teacher of Health and English. She remained at Eisenhower until she chose to return to counseling at Jefferson High School from which she retired from her career in 2007 after 38 years.

She met her future husband, Timothy Keating, in 1959. They were both members of the Moose Club Junior Bowling League. He was the league secretary and got her phone number. They had their first date in December of 1959 when he thought she was 14 not knowing (or caring) that she was still 12- he was 15. Her mother talked her into accepting the date- “it is a free movie”.

65 years later, after a few breaks of dating and 57 mostly happy years of marriage, she leaves behind a grateful and loving husband.

Always a fierce believer in equality (if not superiority) of women, she and several of the Wilson women demanded seating for business men lunches at several local restaurants, was an active supporter of Education Associations, a fifty year member of Alpha Delta Kappa educational sorority and active in causes that benefit public education.

Always a lover of the arts, beginning her marriage with a honeymoon at Expo 67 in Montreal and attending an opera and ballet (Tim was not thrilled). An advocate for local artists and live productions, she held tickets to Artist Ensemble, Rockford Symphony, Broadway at the Coronado, and Starlight Theater. Other performances include New York, Chicago, Shakespeare theaters in London Ontario and Ashford Oregon, London England, Dublin Ireland as well as others

Travel was another passion which started with the honeymoon in Montreal. Among her travels: The British Isles, Italy, Greece, Russia, China, Israel, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Most of Eastern and Western Europe, South America, The Caribbean, South Africa and more. Anyone who knew her knew she always spoke her mind. She did not believe in playing games. She always called them as she saw them. Not obnoxious but not a shrinking violet. That was an endearing quality that I will truly miss. Most anybody who dealt with her found her to be straightforward and honest. That is the comment I usually always got about that wonderful woman.

She is survived by her husband of 57+ years, Timothy Keating; son Nicholas Joseph Keating of Bedford, NH; sister Lauretta’s (Richard) Hager of Rockford; sister-in-law Marie (Keating) Ehrhart; nieces Heather Porter of Rockford, Katie Yaunke of South Beloit, Jennifer Keating of NC; nephews Michael Diehl of Belvidere, Richard Keating and family in Thailand.

A celebration of life will be scheduled after the New Year. In lieu of flowers, if a memorial is desired, donations to the American Diabetes Association or a favorite charity of your choice.