Now That She’s Gone: The Legacy Of Janet Messineo - The Fisherman

Now That She’s Gone: The Legacy Of Janet Messineo

Special thanks to Mike Laptew for providing this awesome photo of Janet doing what she did best.

On December 17, Janet Messineo lost her courageous battle with ALS. She was an angling legend, but the legacy she leaves behind is not one defined by world record catches or large, singular moments of success.  To be sure, while small in stature, she did some big things. She conquered sobriety. She penned Casting into The Light, a memoir about a fishing life well-lived and wrote for numerous fishing magazines. She was a member of the MV Derby Hall of Fame, a former president of the MV Surfcasters, and an accomplished taxidermist and wildlife artist. And perhaps most-importantly, her tenacity and grit helped open a door into the old-school fishing fraternity for countless female anglers. And yes, she landed some good fish.

While these accomplishments are impressive, I suspect Janet’s legacy will be derived from a totality of small interpersonal moments, logged in the memories of those she encountered. To close friends, and those she met in-passing alike, these interactions were ones of giving and caring, of teaching, and of kindness. And each one takes on deeper meaning, now that she’s gone.

In their totality, over the course of a lifetime, these disconnected acts of kindness create a pattern – like a quilt 76 years in the making. A mosaic of countless small gestures and exchanges. Each one is unique and special, but when joined together they form a colossal memorial, infinitely larger and more-meaningful than any statue or monument (or giant bass landed). While anyone who met Janet likely has their own pieces of the quilt, I wanted to share a few, now that she’s gone.

Each year, she’d volunteer at the weigh-in table at the annual kids fishing event held during the Derby. Nervous pint-sized anglers would approach the table, often with parents giving instructions, pushing them forward. Regardless of the size the scup or sea bass, Janet would light up when she saw the fish and focus entirely on that little boy or girl. Her energy, that spark, would transfer from her to them. Showered in confidence-boosting affirmation, the nervousness would fade and what was left was two anglers interacting. Janet, the older hall of famer, the fishing legend, and a young child, now beaming with pride at Janet’s recognition of their accomplishment.

Countless anglers – young and old – have similar stories about Janet. These connections were not small things. The direction of lives can change from such interactions and each means a bit more, now that she’s gone.

Janet was an excellent writer (and public speaker), but she also had collected a substantial library of how-to fishing books. Toward the end of her life, she tasked dear friend and fellow Derby Committee member Bob Lane with distributing this collection to fellow anglers. Some were added to the Derby fundraiser auction and Bob brought boxes of these treasures to a Derby meeting.

It was a bit awkward, since she was still with us, but she wanted her friends to take her books, to learn from them, as she had. Many had inscriptions and signatures inside, evidence they were gifts from the authors. In these days of omnipresent digital screens, to have a real, paper book owned by Janet and packed with the teachings she used to teach herself is no small thing. Each is even more precious, now that she’s gone.

Two summers ago, I told Janet that I had discovered (later in life than most) the great pleasure of raking quahogs with my young daughters. I borrowed a rake from a neighbor and the handle was too short. We joked about sore backs and old age. A few days later she sent me a text and asked if I’d stop by her house. I had never been there and was not sure what this was about.

We talked in her driveway and she told me about her failing health. Unable to go herself, she wanted me to have her rakes, to use with my girls. They were rusty but solid, with long, stout handles. I tried to pay her, but she refused, and I told her how much it meant that she had invited me over for this reason. She understood the meaning of the moment too, I think, as she asked me about my daughters. Those rakes are in our shed, put to good use every summer. Far more than metal and wood, they are embodiments of her kindness and thoughtfulness that we will cherish, now that she’s gone.

There are thousands upon thousands of these stories, I suspect. Memories and moments that occurred on Martha’s Vineyard and beyond. Janet forged a legacy of monumental proportions, one small act of kindness and thoughtfulness at a time. As with fishing, patience and hard work are required to create such an unusually poignant and beautiful endowment that impacted so many. She was a truly remarkable person and will be deeply missed.

I hope wherever she is, past the sunset in the sky, she knows the legacy she created is inspiring those she touched to honor her with their own acts of kindness, now that she’s gone. While she was humble and brushed off accolades, I suspect she’d be touched and pleased by how she’s being remembered. The twinkle in her eye would probably give it away.

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