Sadly, Jan passed away on February 1, 2024, after a long illness in her native Toronto. Born on December 19, 1943, she was educated at Earl Haig Secondary School and at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Jan (also professionally known as Libby Hughes) then went to New York City in 1971 to pursue her dream of a stage career. At that time, she attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she furthered her training in the dramatic arts. Over the course of the next four decades, she appeared in many stage productions, workshops, and films throughout the United States, mainly in New York but as far afield as Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Alabama. In addition, Jan worked for many years as a graphic artist for Kaplan Associates, and later as a tour guide. She returned to Canada in 2011.
Predeceased by her parents, Robert and Edith, she will be sorely missed by her three brothers—Robert (Veronica), David (Eva), and John—as well as by her three nieces—Jenny, Gwyneth, and Meredith.
Jan will remain vivid in the minds of those who knew her for her deep love and respect for acting and singing, Shakespeare, her Buddhist faith, and an undiminished enthusiasm for her adopted city, New York. Those who spend their lives doing what they love are truly fortunate.
A special thanks is due to those who cared for her over the years at Sunrise Senior Living in Burlington, and the Rekai Centre in Toronto.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in Jan’s memory to the Alzheimer Society of Canada would be appropriate.
A celebration of her life will be announced later.