December 6, 1940–May 23, 2026
Beloved ASI member Janet Perlman died Saturday, May 23, 2026, after a short battle with cervical cancer.
She was a long-time member of the American Society for Indexing, serving on its board as Director, then Treasurer. She was a former editor of Key Words, the author of the ASI books, Running an Indexing Business (2001) and Indexing Tactics & Tidbits: An A to Z Guide (2016), and was the 2006 Hines Award recipient.
She believed in service, in shared responsibility, and in the value of contributing to something larger than oneself. When she won the Hines Award in 2006, a letter of nomination stated: “Janet’s professional qualifications are stellar. She has served national ASI in many ways, as a member of the Board of Directors, the Wilson Award Committee, the Web site committee, the chapter relations committee, the archive committee, the salary survey committee, and the publicity committee. Janet has contributed articles to Key Words, presented workshops at countless national conferences, and is the author/editor of the ASI/ITI’s Running an Indexing Business.” She continued to serve ASI for another twenty years.
She grew up mostly in New York but spent multiple years as a child in Cuba, where her father was a food chemist.
A woman of diverse interests and accomplishments, Janet earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Queens College and later received a Master of Arts in Management from the University of Phoenix. She valued learning as a tool to serve, to improve, and to uplift.
Her work as an indexer required precision, patience, and a deep respect for language and structure. She indexed a wide variety of books from history to poetry, science to personal experience, in both English and Spanish. She chose the career as a young woman in New York, and then returned to it later in life after working for two decades at the Jewish Federation and City of Phoenix.
Outside of her work, Janet found joy in many interests. She enjoyed word games and word play. She loved singing and music, books, reading, cooking, and Jewish art. She was deeply devoted to family and friends. Whether she was listening to music, preparing a meal, exploring a book, or delighting in a crossword puzzle or a game of Scrabble, Janet embraced the simple pleasures of daily life.
Janet was the cherished wife of Gerald Perlman and the mother of Eric Perlman and Joshua Perlman. She was a proud grandmother to Eliana and Rachel Perlman, who brought great happiness to her life. She is also survived by her brother, Michael Horowitz. She was preceded in death by her father, Reuben Horowitz, and her mother, Hilda Horowitz.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those who loved her donate to the American Cancer Society or the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.