Janet Mary (Piper) Tivy

Janet Mary Tivy (Piper) (1935-2025)

Sleeping peacefully, she left us on March 30, 2025 in Lenox, MA. Janet was born May 3, 1935, in Margate, England, to Wilfred and Freda Piper. She spent her youth in Devon, England, graduating from Dartington Hall College, then moved to London to attend the Royal College of Music.

In 1957 Janet married Desmond Tivy, a physician. They lived in London and Kent before emigrating to the US in 1965 with their three eldest children, sailing aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth and settling in Pittsfield, MA, upon arrival. For a year Dr. Tivy was a medical resident at Pittsfield General Hospital, where their youngest son Chris joined the family. They moved to Lenox in 1966 when Desmond founded his family practice medical office. 

For several decades, Janet performed as a soloist with many local ensembles, including the Berkshire Lyric Theatre, the Berkshire Consort, the Berkshire Pro Musica Group, the Stockbridge Madrigal Society, the South Church Cantata Choir, and she was also a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for five years. Janet was school registrar for many years at Berkshire Country Day School, and she worked in public relations and administrative roles for the Tanglewood Friends office every summer. Retiring in 1997, she and Desmond spent winters in Santa Barbara, CA, then returned to the Berkshires full-time in 2013. 

She was a kind, humble, and considerate woman with a fondness for animals, gardening, art, tennis, classical music and, foremost, opera and travel to Europe. She was a talented artist in many media, especially pastels, clay, sewing, knitting, and embroidery, integrating creative projects into every part of her family's home. She was a member of the Berkshire International Club and she served as a director on the board of the Berkshire Bach Society for many years. Her pride in her children's and grandchildren's accomplishments was her greatest joy. 

Janet leaves sons Robert (Toni) and Christopher (Anna), daughter Catharyn (Jonathan), and six grandchildren. Her husband Desmond died in 2017 and their son Matthew (Keith) died in 2016. 

Her family is very grateful for the friendship of treasured caregiver, Irene Wolcott, and for the untiring care the wonderful staff at Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center provided while Janet was a resident there. She would be grateful for gifts in her memory made to the Berkshire Humane Society, and to the Tanglewood Music Center's fellowship program, c/o M.J. Kelly Funeral Home, 3 Main Street, Lee, MA 01238.