Lawrence Township
Janet Regottaz Bickal, 96, passed away on May 2, 2024.
Janet was born on Staten Island and grew up in Moorestown, NJ. When she was ten, her father Myles, an export salesman for RCA Victor, took Janet and her mother Edna along on a business trip. For five months, they traveled by ocean liner to South America, Africa and Europe. This ignited a passion for travel that lasted the rest of her life.
As a junior at Moorestown High, Janet was cast in the lead of the school’s production of the Broadway hit “Junior Miss.” Much to her dismay, the family moved to El Paso, TX before Janet’s senior year. Her disappointment was lessened when she learned that her new high school was staging the same play and she landed the lead again. Janet continued acting at the Connecticut College for Women where she graduated with a B.A. in English. She earned a master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. That’s where she met Bob Bickal. They were married for 28 years and had three children.
Janet spent most of her life in Lawrenceville, living in a house with a barn and a pool that she loved very much. She taught English at Mercer County Community College for 25 years. Janet was proud that she forced the administration to change their dress code and let women faculty members wear pantsuits. Her favorite time at Mercer was the year she wrote scripts and performed in the irreverent educational TV series, “Write Away.”
After she retired, Janet volunteered as a museum docent, recorded audiobooks for the blind and served as president of the Lawrence Historical Society. She did the NY Times crossword puzzle every day and wrote a book about her experiences and the people in her life. She believed in family, friends, education, the arts, tradition and good food served in modest portions.
Janet is survived by her three children, Jean, Ellen and Jim (Kris), three grandchildren, Mike, Lydia and Sarah and one great grandchild, Kaiden. A celebration of her life will be held at the Brearley House, 100 Meadow Road, in Lawrenceville on June 21 from 4:00 to 7:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lawrence Historical Society.
