Janet S. Akins

Janet S. Akins, 68, died Oct. 14, 2008, after a courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer. She was born in Davenport, Iowa, to Winslow and Frances Sawyer and grew up in Braintree, Mass. She graduated from Braintree High School in 1958 and from Lasell Junior College in 1960. She was a church secretary in West Boylston, Mass., and Antrim. As an activist for the rights of the visually impaired, she will be remembered for her dedication to the New Hampshire Association for the Blind, both as a client and volunteer, as a volunteer for Sight Services for Independent Living, as well as for her kind and generous spirit. Her passion for providing services inspired her to co-found the organization, Dog Guide Users of New Hampshire. Family members include her husband, Kenneth Akins of Antrim; three daughters, Kim Akins of Troy, N.Y., Susan Kenny of Novato, Calif., and Kathleen O'Dea of Woodstock, Conn.; two brothers, Winslow Sawyer of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Steve Sawyer of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; sister, Karen Hurd of Daytona Beach, Fla.; four grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. IN HER LIFE: Janet also leaves her beloved companion, Fonzy, who was her guide dog for eight years. She enjoyed square and round dancing with her husband at Cloud Busters Square Dance Club, Peterborough, walking through town with Fonzy, and spending time in the summer with her family at Gregg Lake. SERVICES: A memorial service is Saturday at 2 p.m. in Bennington Congregational Church, 5 Main St., Bennington. Memorial donations may be made to the New Hampshire Association for the Blind, 25 Walker St., Concord, 03301, (www.sightcenter.org); Guide Dogs for the Blind, 350 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, Calif. 94903, (www.guidedogs.com); Guide Dog Users of New Hampshire, 33 Hillside Ave., Derry, 03038; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; or the American Cancer Society.