Janis Louise Bestul Ossmann of Acton, Massachusetts died peacefully on January 23, 2026 following a year-long battle with cancer. She was 71 years old.
Janis Louise Bestul was born in Washington, D.C. on June 15, 1954 to Alden Bestul, a scientist at the National Bureau of standards (now NIST) and Marie Macario Bestul, a sociologist. She grew up in Maryland, enjoying math, science, music, and the great outdoors. She played violin in the Montgomery County Youth Orchestra. As a teenager she built her own violin under the tutelage of a local luthier.
Janis attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she earned a degree in civil engineering. At MIT she also pursued her musical interests, playing in the MIT Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Society, and numerous pit orchestras.
Following graduation Janis took a job with Corning Glass Works designing buildings for manufacturing plants. In 1978 she moved back to the Boston area to take a mechanical engineering job with Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation where she specialized in valves and piping systems for power plants and large industrial plants. While working for Stone and Webster, she earned her masters degree and professional engineer’s license in mechanical engineering. During that time she resumed playing in the MIT Symphony Orchestra where she met cellist Bill Ossmann on a concert tour to New York City. They were married in 1979.
Janis stayed with Stone and Webster through several corporate name changes and acquisitions, eventually becoming part of Westinghouse Corporation, where she was promoted to Consulting Engineer. During that time she became involved in codes and standards committees of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She was elected an ASME fellow in 2024 in recognition of her contributions.
Janis was a great lover of the outdoors whether it be hiking Acton conservation land or journeying with family to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and other national parks. She infused that spirit in the next generation as a camping leader for her children’s Girls Scout and Boy Scout troops.
Janis is survived by her husband Bill, daughter Rachel, son Andrew, and granddog Ludo, all of Acton, Massachusetts, as well as sisters Andrea Bestul of Warminster, Pennsylvania, and Nina Augustine of Gaithersburg, Maryland. She was predeceased by sister Selene Makarios.
Visitation will be on Friday, January 30, 2026 from 4 to 6 PM, at Acton Funeral Home, 470 Massachusetts Ave., Acton, MA. A celebration of life will take place at a later date.
Memorial donations can be made to the Star Island Corporation, Morton-Benedict House, 30 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801 or starisland.org.
