Janice “Jan” Y. Thomas-Knecht, age 89, of Eatontown, passed away peacefully Aug. 20, 2026. Jan grew up in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School in June 1954. She was immediately employed at Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation in Raritan (a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary) from 1954 to 1961.
Jan was the daughter of Kenneth and Janet Yeager. She was married to Rev. Will Thomas in 1961. They met at a youth conference at Blair Academy, a place of special interest all their lives. They served at Summerfield United Methodist Church on Staten Island, Epworth UMC in Elizabeth, Bishop Janes UMC in Basking Ridge for 20 years, and lastly Blairstown UMC for three years, after which they retired to their home at Culver Lake in Branchville.
Will passed away in June 1998.
Jan was a pioneer in the church because she worked outside the home. Most ministers’ wives didn’t do that, but she wanted her children to have a college education, which they couldn’t afford otherwise. She worked for the park commission at the Environmental Education Center, a local doctor’s office (Dr. Schlessinger), and for the U.S. Golf Association while they lived in Basking Ridge.
After moving to Blairstown, she worked in the college counseling office at Blair Academy and loved every minute with the young people. The Class of 1990 dedicated the yearbook to her for all the help she gave the students with their college applications.
Jan was active in each church they served, including with the United Methodist Women’s Group, the Chancel Choir, the Bell Choir and other committees in the church. She loved people and kept in contact with many friends and relatives. She loved to read, knit, do needlework and watch her favorite baseball team, the New York Mets.
After Will died, Jan moved from Culver Lake to Hunters Crossing in Three Bridges. While there, she volunteered at Hunterdon Medical Center and served for nine years, giving 3,060 hours of service at the information desk. She also worked in the Patient Liaison Office. She joined the Whitehouse United Methodist Church, during which time Rev. Shawn Calendar Hogan became the pastor of the church and they became close friends.
In 2010, at age 75, Jan moved from Flemington to The Pines at Whiting, a continuing care facility, where she became very involved in the community. She met a gentleman from Ridgefield Park, John Knecht Jr., and they were married in the town hall of The Pines in April 2012. Her friend of many years, Janie Preiser, who also lives at The Pines, was her matron of honor, and her granddaughter Mackenzie, then 16, was her bridesmaid. They went to Cape May for their honeymoon.
Jan and John served as the welcoming committee for new and prospective residents at The Pines. The Methodist Church again played a big part in her life, and she and John never missed a Sunday.
Jan and John enjoyed 12 years of marriage. After John’s passing, Jan moved from Whiting to Eatontown, where she spent her last years at Brightview Senior Living to be closer to family. She enjoyed the daily activities right up until the end.
Jan is survived by her brother William Richard Yeager and his wife Elizabeth Yeager; daughters Wendy Wilt and Patty Krees and their husbands, Larry Wilt and Brian Krees; six grandchildren and their spouses: Thomas and Tilden Wilt, David Wilt, Timothy and Rina Wilt, Mackenzie and Mark Naude, Kevin Krees, and Scott and Alexa Krees; and six great-grandchildren: Hazel, Emerson, Waylon, Wendy, Gibson and Cooper, with two more on the way.
A Celebration of Life and interment will be private. Memorial donations may be made to the United Methodist Churches at umc.org.
Thompson Memorial Home of Red Bank has been entrusted with the arrangements.
The article originally appeared in the October 1 – 7, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
