It is with profound sorrow that the MCB Department shares the news of the unexpected passing of our dear colleague Janet Frazer Montgomery, who died on December 26, 2025 in a traffic accident in Vermont.
Janet was a cherished member of the Harvard community and a steadfast presence in support of faculty, students, and staff. She began her Harvard career in 2002 as Coordinator for Research Staff and Teaching Support Services at Harvard Business School. In 2003, she joined the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology as Operations Coordinator. Janet then became Faculty Assistant II in MCB in 2005, a position she held with distinction for over 20 years until her passing.
All along, Janet supported the professors who were close to retirement or have started the retirement process, notably Professor Matthew Meselson. “Janet Montgomery was immensely competent and remarkably sensitive to the needs and problems of others,” he says. “She was a very strong and good person, greatly missed.”
Fellow MCB professor emeritus Richard Losick, whom Janet also supported during her time at MCB adds, “I interacted with Janet frequently, and she arranged lunches and other meetings for me with Matt, who regaled me with stories about the history of molecular biology. Once, Janet tracked down a historic letter that the great chemist Linus Pauling had written to the Soviet Academy of Sciences requesting a chemical that his former student (Meselson) needed for his research. By some magic, Janet found this letter, and I feature it in my teaching. I adored Janet, and I miss her greatly.”
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, May 16th in Atkinson, NH (about 1 hour away from Cambridge).
Please complete this survey if you plan to attend so that we can RSVP with her family. Indicate whether you will be driving and have space to carpool from campus, or if you will need a ride.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and all who were fortunate to know her.
