Amherst, Janina M. Czajkowski Esselen, 100, died Friday October 2, 2015 at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst.. She was a professor emeritus of the Dept. of Nutritional Sciences at University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Born on May 11, 1915, the eldest daughter of John W. and Aniela (Orszulak) Czajkowski she was raised in Hadley and graduated from Hopkins Academy. She obtained a B.S. degree in 1936 from the Univ. of Mass. in Amherst and two Masters degrees, one from Cornell University and the other from Harvard. In 1963 she earned an Ed. D. from Boston University. 

Jan worked as a dietitian in the U.S. Army during WW II. Her career at UCONN began in 1947 in the School of Home Economics and she moved to the Department of Nutritional Sciences in 1972 to start the community nutrition program. Dr. Czajkowski Esselen was a pioneer for EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) and under her leadership Connecticut was one of several states that ran pilot nutrition programs for low income families with peer nutrition educators from the community. Jan worked with leaders at USDA in Washington on many community nutrition initiatives. She led this program until her retirement in 1983.

During her career she wrote a series of booklets on the foods and traditions of New England, France, Poland, China and Hawaii, to name a few. She authored a weekly column, “Table Talk,” for the Hartford Courant for many years. In her retirement she continued her interest in nutrition through many professional organizations and was a life long learner with the LIR (Learning in Retirement) Program at UMASS. 

After her retirement she moved back to the Amherst area and in 1985 married William Esselen with her 93-year-old father walking her down the aisle. 

She leaves sisters Nellie Griffin and Bertha Clark, sister in law Angeline Czajkowski, all of Hadley. Richard Esselen, stepson and wife Dianne of Westwood, MA, grandchildren: Sandra Higgins and husband Michael, Cheryl, Richard, Jr.  and 3 great-grand daughters. She leaves many devoted caregivers, nieces and nephews and their families. Her husband, William Esselen, her sister Mildred and brothers Joseph and John predeceased her. 

A Mass of Christian burial will be held Wednesday October 7, at 10:00 am at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel at the Newman Catholic Center, University of Massachusetts. A calling hour will precede the service from 9:00 – 10:00 am in the Chapel. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be designated to the Janina M. Czajkowski Scholarship in Community Nutrition.  Please make checks payable to:  The UConn Foundation, Inc. and forward to the following address: 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206, Storrs, Connecticut 06269 or The Newman Catholic Center, 472 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002.