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Red Cross' Janet Livingston

Janet Livingston, 86, a director with the American Red Cross, died Sept. 7 of complications from dementia at Rydal Park, a continuing-care retirement community in Abington Township, where she had lived for the last two years.

Janet Livingston, 86, a director with the American Red Cross, died Sept. 7 of complications from dementia at Rydal Park, a continuing-care retirement community in Abington Township, where she had lived for the last two years.

A. Frank Donaghue, chief executive officer of Physicians for Human Rights, wrote in an e-mail that "she is the last of an era of people that built the Red Cross in Philadelphia."

Donaghue, CEO of the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter from 1991 to 2001, wrote that "Janet earned the respect of the toughest driver and teamster to the most annoying volunteer, because above all else she was fair."

Miss Livingston, born in Wayne, graduated in 1945 from Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., and became a social worker for the Red Cross' Southeastern chapter.

During a 41-year career with the Red Cross, she was the chapter's director of blood-donor recruitment before becoming administrative director of the Penn Jersey Blood Services Region in Philadelphia from 1976 to 1986.

Randal McDowell, executor of her estate, said she helped develop the computerized records systems for the regional office.

And, McDowell said, the Red Cross sent her as a temporary relief worker to several national disasters, beginning with the Mississippi River floods of 1949.

From 1998 through 2006, she was a board member and cochair of the support group for the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Association for Macular Diseases.

And she was president of the Eastern Region unit of the American Red Cross Retiree Association.

Miss Livingston is survived by brothers Wendell and Philip, three nieces, and a nephew.

A graveside service has been set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Valley Forge Memorial Gardens, 352 S. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia.