Janice Mary Wnek O’Connor

BRUNSWICK – Janice Mary Wnek O’Connor, 77, passed away on June 26, 2025, after a more than decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease at Avita of Brunswick.

Jan was born on Nov. 10, 1947, in Elmira, N.Y., the firstborn child of four siblings to Mitchell T. and Martha Wnek. She had two brothers, Fran (deceased) and Phil, and one sister, Joyce.

Jan grew up in the towns of Cromwell, Conn. and Cumberland, R.I. At Cumberland High School, she played piano for musical productions and wrote the lyrics for the class ode for her graduation ceremony. She graduated from Cumberland High School in 1965.

After graduation, Jan attended college at Boston University where she majored in biology. In college, she was a member of the University Chorus and Newman Club. She also worked as a cancer research assistant for the NIH after receiving a research fellowship at the end of her sophomore year. She graduated magna cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1969.

After graduating from BU, Jan moved to Chicago, IL to attend the Northwestern University School of Medicine to purse her dream of becoming a doctor, a trailblazing feat at a time when only nine percent of medical students were women. Despite the rigors of medical training, she found time to organize and serve at a free inner city medical clinic for the underserved in Chicago. She was also awarded a government grant to study oncology at the children’s hospital in Chicago. She graduated from medical school in 1973.

Although heavily recruited to stay at a big-city academic hospital for her internship and residency, Jan had discovered a love for practicing medicine in smaller communities. This led her to choose Maine Medical Center in Portland, for her pediatric internship and residency. She was the only woman in her class. Here Jan learned how to take care of her favorite patient population – kids, most of all newborn babies. She also fell in love with the state of Maine.

It was during Jan’s intern year at Maine Medical Center that she met her future husband, Joe O’Connor, while he was a third-year medical student rotating on the pediatrics floor. Their relationship blossomed despite their busy schedules, and they began what would become their 49-year marriage on Feb. 8, 1976.

Three sons, Kevin, Daniel, and Steven, soon followed, and Jan took a pause from her medical career to dedicate herself to raising her young family. After a brief detour to Modesto, CA, Jan and Joe ultimately decided to raise their family in Brunswick.

Jan joined Martin’s Point Health Care in 1989 where she would take on many roles in the organization including assistant medical director for clinical management, chief of pediatrics, and medical director. She even helped to design a new medical facility in Brunswick that opened in 1999. As a respected member of the medical and pediatric community, Jan held numerous additional leadership roles. She served as the chief of pediatrics at Mid-Coast Hospital from 1992 to 1995. Jan was also as an important member of Maine’s Dirigo Health initiative for many years in the early 2000’s where she helped improve the quality of healthcare across the state of Maine.

While Jan excelled at these leadership roles, her first and greatest professional love was her job taking care of children and supporting their families as a pediatrician. Her areas of expertise included learning disabilities, ADHD, gifted children, and discipline issues. Jan was well-respected by her colleagues for her ability to provide excellent medical care, but most of all Jan was known by her patients for the kindness, calmness, and empathy which she made available to families at all hours of the day and night.

When Jan was not busy with her professional duties, she actively contributed to her community and pursued many hobbies. Her projects included spearheading an annual Christmas gift drive that provided warm clothes, school supplies, and toys for needy children at Longfellow Elementary school. She was also an active member of St. Charles Catholic Church where she taught Sunday classes and had a popular Christmas ornament-decorating table at the annual Christmas fair. Jan was an accomplished pianist, lover of music, a devotee of the Maine State Music Theater, lover of cats, skilled botanist, talented baker (famous for Jan’s homemade strawberry jam), voracious reader, and adept finisher of crosswords started by Joe.

Despite her many accomplishments as a pioneering doctor and member of her community, Jan will be remembered most for the inexhaustible patience, grace, wisdom, and optimism that she brought to her husband, three sons, three granddaughters, and extended family throughout her life. Her unconditional love for them will be deeply missed.

Jan’s mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on July 8, 2025, at 10 a.m., at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 132 McKeen Street, Brunswick. Immediately following mass, interment will be at St. John’s Cemetery, Pine Street, Brunswick. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited.

Arrangements are by Stetson’s Funeral Home, 12 Federal Street, Brunswick, Maine.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family at http://www.stetsonsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Christmas / Winter Essentials Program at the Maine Children’s Home at https://www.mainechildrenshome.org/WinterSupport.