Janet Olcott Clinton Goldbach passed peacefully on October 14, 2026. She was born January 30, 1939, in Brooklyn, NY, and reached celebrity status at the age of eight, becoming the youngest child to perform on the very young medium of television. An accomplished magician, Janet delighted generations of audiences, performing as “Pixie” for children and “Janet Clinton” for adults. She sometimes performed alongside her parents, Frank and Ruth Clinton of New York City.

Janet graduated with honors from Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, NY, where she sponsored the Janet Clinton Performing Arts Center and the Janet Clinton Goldbach Madame Helene Champrigand Prize for Excellence in French. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude in 1960. While touring France and Europe for 12 weeks in 1958 with Madame Champrigand and a small group from Packer, she became the first female to perform on the stage of the Magic Circle of London.

Janet taught first grade and raised two children in the 1960s. From 1965 to 1989, she performed professionally for adults and children of all ages, often entertaining more than 250 audiences per year. Janet retired from the performing arts following the death of her father, Frank Clinton, in 1989, and devoted much of the next 25 years to her talents as an accomplished painter.

Janet is survived by her two children, Kristen (Larry) and Rick (Vicki); and her grandchildren, Jared, Janet, Katherine, Amanda, Sarah, Hunter, Hudson, and Trevor. She was predeceased by her parents, Frank and Ruth Clinton, and by her loving husband of 65 years, Richard A. Goldbach. Janet never met a stranger and touched the lives of all who met her, always making them smile with her wit and puns. She will be dearly missed.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held Monday, November 16, 2026 at 2 p.m. at St. Luke's Historic Church, 14477 Benn's Church Boulevard, Smithfield, Virginia 23430 with Rev. Chris Tidwell officiating. 

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of Sentara Hospice Care and Bickford Senior Living for their compassionate support and care. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Janet’s memory to the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation at www.rls.org.