Janet Louise Fitch, age 77, of Milwaukee, passed away after a short but intensive bout with cancer, on December 20, 2023. She leaves behind countless close confidantes, all of whom had their life directly enhanced by Janet’s emotional depth, hearty spirit, and creative spark.
Janet was a loving daughter to Ervin and Margaret Jankowski, and a big-hearted sister to Tom, Evelyn, Michael, Roger, Kathy, and Allan (Pawlicki). Her childhood antics, adventures, and mishaps earned Janet nicknames such as “Janko” and “Crash.”
After graduating from Riverside High School in 1964, Janet and her former husband John Fitch raised three children: John (later married to Wendy Fitch), Becky, and Andy (Kristin McTigue). Like much of her life, Janet’s motherhood was full of passion, while providing inspiration for her kids and her community. She won multiple elections to local school boards, and received Glendale Citizen of the Year recognition in the mid-1980s. She then developed a successful career in real estate, while putting extra effort into helping financially vulnerable buyers purchase their first homes. She later enrolled at Alverno College to complete a dual undergraduate degree in communications and philosophy, in her forties.
Entering journalism at a moment when public engagement through documentary film was an emerging field, Janet found herself awed by the potential for live screenings and follow-up discussions to create lasting social impact. Instead of steering away from difficult or controversial topics, Janet’s community outreach focused on reconnecting fellow citizens who no longer feel they can talk to each other. Her first co-producer role was for the documentary Through One City’s Eyes: Race Relations in America’s Heartland (PBS, 1999). This film’s award-winning community-engagement campaign was the topic of Janet’s Masters Thesis in Journalism at UWM.
Janet subsequently founded the multicultural, multigenerational media group New Moon Productions, seeking to catalyze film projects that offered fresh possibilities for rethinking polarized political frameworks. In her own 3-part documentary series, Guns, Grief and Grace in America, Janet sought to revitalize common-sense discussions of handgun violence, by directing attention to public-health concerns. Janet’s films aired on PBS and related public-television outlets, while screening in community venues across the U.S. and internationally. Recognition of her pathbreaking work at the intersection of media, the arts, and social change includes the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award in Public Policy, the Shepherd Express’s Milwaukee Activist of the Year, and Alverno College’s Communicator of the Year.
In 2003, Janet became a grandmother to Alex Fitch. A whole new set of adventures and love began, as Janet became “Nonnie,” and declared grandparenthood her “best gig yet.”
While most widely known for her media work, Janet’s inexhaustible capacities for human connection also led to a rich civic and social life. Among Janet’s impassioned commitments were longstanding connections to Alverno, the Brewers Hill community, the Unitarian Church, and the League of Women Voters. When not focused on local causes, Janet found time to travel widely through the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Africa. When not positioned at the center of a party, she was just as happy swimming laps at the Jewish Community Center, walking Schlitz Audubon Nature Society trails, or sharing a glass of wine with a friend in need of thoughtful advice. Janet’s exemplary generosity of time, care, and invigorating camaraderie carried forth into her final hours, and could not be subdued even by an aggressive illness and a stroke.