===== Janet Plass Portzer =====
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Janet Plass Portzer, 65, of Apex, formerly of Pleasant Valley, NY, died Friday, December 2, 2016 at her home in Apex, NC.

Janet was born August 28, 1951 in Poughkeepsie, NY to Robert William Plass and the late Helen Palmer Plass. One of four, she grew up with her late brother Bob and her two younger sisters, Martha and Lorraine. After attending Arlington High School, she graduated from Cornell University in 1973 with a BA in English, and SUNY Buffalo in 1976 with a M.Ed. in Instruction. From 1973-1978 she taught at Akron Central School in Western New York State, before moving to North Carolina in 1981. She began working at Glaxo, Inc. in 1986, continuing work there through several mergers until she retired from her position as Director of US Diversity at GlaxoSmithKline in 2006. After retiring from corporate work, she volunteered full time at Habitat for Humanity International in Church Relations, then spent the next five years working for Family Health Ministries, a Durham organization focused on building healthy communities in Haiti. She spent the most recent part of her retirement as a Guardian ad Litem in Wake County, NC. 

Janet married Jeffrey William Portzer in June, 1973, with whom she raised two children, Jeremy and Joelle. She was a long-time member of Apex United Methodist Church in Apex, North Carolina, where she was a lay leader, a Sunday School teacher, a bible study leader, a Genesis Circle member, and a member and leader of numerous committees. 

The family will receive friends at 7:00 pm Monday, December 5, 2016 at Apex United Methodist Church, 100 S. Hughes St, Apex, NC 27502. A Memorial Service will be held at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, also at the church.

Memorial donations may be made to Family Health Ministries, 1921 North Pointe Drive, Suite 200, Durham, North Carolina 27715, or via their website at www.familyhealthministries.org.

Condolences may be sent to www.ApexFuneral.net