Janet Birmingham's Obituary
Janet Birmingham, 94, of Palm Harbor, Florida, passed away on May 22, 2025. Born on August 12, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York, she was the second of three daughters born to Herbert and Agnes “Maimie” Kraft, along with her older sister Dorothea and younger sister Katherine. After completing high school, Janet attended the Long Island School of Nursing and ultimately received her bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College. She met Frank Birmingham at a Point Lookout beach party during the summer of 1948, and the couple were married on December 27, 1951, at St. Brendan’s Church in Levittown, Long Island.
Frank and Janet relocated to Fort Campbell, Kentucky in 1951, after Frank graduated from Norwich University, so he could carry out his orders for active duty in the Army as a 2nd lieutenant in a tank battalion. Janet worked as a civilian nurse at the Fort Campbell base hospital, caring for wounded men coming back from Korea. In October 1952, Janet delivered the couple’s first children, surprise twins Kenneth and Kevin. Their son Thomas was born less than a year later, inspiring Janet to always refer to her first three boys as “Irish triplets.” The family moved to Long Island, New York, after Frank completed his military service in 1953. Their fourth son, James, was born in 1957, and then in July 1964, the couple was finally blessed with their long hoped for daughter, Patricia.
Janet returned to the workforce in 1965 at Southside Hospital, Bayshore, Long Island, where she enjoyed a 27-year-long career as a nursing supervisor. In 1992, Frank and Janet retired to New Port Richey, Florida, where they remained devoted to each other until Frank’s passing in 2008.
Janet will be remembered as a kind and caring mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was an excellent cook, from classic cuisine like her specialty Coq au Vin to her own creation “Hamburger Heaven.” She loved picking blue claw crab, but her favorite was lobster. She was an active member of the Catholic Daughters, where she held the position of Regent, and was a Eucharistic minister at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Trinity, Florida. Generous of heart and spirit, she volunteered her time at the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, helping to feed the less fortunate.
Janet is survived by her children, Ken (Maryann), Kevin (Pat), Tom (Julie), Jim (Mona), and Tricia (Daniel); her thirteen grandchildren, Kenneth, Dawn, Kevin, Ryan, Rachel, Zach, Kirsten, Keri, Nicole, Kate, Mat, Amy, and Mickey; and her seven great-grandchildren, Eric, Mark, Case, Christopher, Tommy, Fielding, and Maeve. She was preceded in passing by her beloved husband Frank, and her sisters Dorothea Kirk and Katherine Cooper.
A memorial service will be held at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Trinity, Florida, on Friday, June 27, 2025, at 10:30 am, to be immediately followed by an inurnment at Trinity Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Janet’s memory to the Catholic Daughters and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
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