Janet Marie (Benvie) Gillen

Janet Marie (Benvie) Gillen, 57, of Sharon, died unexpectedly at home on Saturday September 7. She was the loving mother of Mary Gillen of Sharon, T.J. Gillen of Sharon and step-mother of Elizabeth Gillen of Jamaica Plain. She was born in Brockton and graduated from West Bridgewater High School and later from the University of Maine and the New England School of Law in 1983. Janet worked as a lawyer for Kemper Insurance and for Plunkett & Plunkett Law Firm in Quincy. Her law degree allowed her to specialize in workman's compensation, disability, employment and special education. She was a communicant for many years at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Sharon and was a member of the Sharon School Committee. Janet was a volunteer for numerous organizations including: Sharon 1st Night Event, The Program Review Group for the American Bar Association and for the BMC/ADR Conferences held by the Boston Bar Association.

Janet was the daughter of the late Alexander W. Benvie and Mary (Johnson) Benvie. She is survived by her former husband Thomas Gillen, Jr. She is also survived by her siblings: Marguerite McKeown and her husband Edward of Brockton, Malcolm J. Benvie and his wife Shirlee of Bridgewater, Donald A. Benvie and his wife Aurora of White Plains, NY and Barbara J. Meleo and her husband Steven of Middleboro as well as many nieces and nephews.

Funeral will be held from the Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park St. (Rt.27) Stoughton on Wednesday, September 12 at 9:00 AM followed by a Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows, Sharon at 10:00 AM. Visiting Hours Tuesday from 5-8 PM. Interment will be held at Pine Hill Cemetery, West Bridgewater. Donations in Janet's memory may be made to the Epilepsy Foundation, 8301 Professional Place, Landover, MD 20785 or www.epilepsyfoundation.org.