Janine Basile Cutchin

      Janine Cutchin died on Sept. 14, 2025 in Burlington, NC after a long illness. She had recently turned 78.

      Janine was adventurous, strong, curious, and creative. Her daughter, Caitlin, said that her mom was never boring because she had so many interests and talents. She loved art history and architecture—especially Native American artifacts. She collected antiques. She enjoyed reading and planting native plants in her backyard in the high desert of New Mexico. She especially enjoyed classic monster movies, chocolate and cats! She loved crafts of all kinds and was a very detail-oriented person which made her art especially unique and wonderful.

     Cats brought her much joy, especially Maine Coon cats, and while cats were her special buddies, she was also close to her dogs and to her American Paint Horse, Moon, who brought her much comfort and solace after her diagnosis. Anyone who knew Janine witnessed her joy when she was outside in nature, hiking, riding her bike for miles, being with her horse, riding horses on mountain trails, and gardening. She loved to eat the delicious meals her husband Jay prepared and she adored being a mother to her daughter, Caitlin. She was a loyal friend and was admired and loved by her family.

     Janine was born in Quito, Ecuador in 1947 while her father did his graduate research and her mother taught English and helped in the American Embassy. In 1949, they moved to Chapel Hill for her father’s teaching job at UNC. Janine loved Chapel Hill, with its Watermelon Festival, Thell’s Bakery with their wonderful birthday cakes, walking to her dad’s office near the Old Well and playing tennis at the University courts. Years of swimming at the UNC Kessing indoor/outdoor pools were the highlight of summer. Her family went to most of the UNC football and basketball games and of course she was a UNC fan from her early days on.

     Janine graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1965 and went to UNC Greensboro for two years. She transferred to UNC Chapel Hill and majored in art history. She was also on the Women’s Tennis Team.

     After graduation, in 1970, she married Jay Cutchin whom she had met at UNC. While he was deployed to Vietnam in 1969, Janine worked as an Occupational Therapist at the Central Regional Hospital in Butner, N.C.

     When Jay returned, they left NC and went to Washington DC for post graduate work. She went to George Washington University and graduated with a Master’s in Museum Studies.

     In 1980, Jay and Janine moved to Winston Salem, NC. Janine worked at what is currently known as the Wake Forest University Museum of Anthropology. Their family grew to include their daughter Caitlin.

     Janine eventually became a fitness instructor at the local YMCA and a new passion was discovered—working out and lifting weights. She was so good at it and loved it so much that she was asked to teach a class on weight lifting and Pilates, and that ignited a life-long passion for teaching others to embrace exercise and movement. She became a certified Pilates instructor and was a personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

     In 2012 Jay and Janine moved to Edgewood, New Mexico, outside of Albuquerque. They fell in love with the Land of Enchantment after visiting their friends, Fran and Dave. She was drawn to the beauty of the high desert and to the culture and history of the Indigenous peoples of the Southwest. It was obvious how happy she was in this environment and she thrived there. Janine and Jay eventually returned to NC to be closer to family and friends.

     Janine is survived by her husband, Joseph Henry Cutchin III, her daughter Caitlin Cutchin Kucera (Walter), her sister, Gloria Basile Varley (Robert), niece, Anna Varley White (Mike), nephew Joel Varley (Leslie), two grandchildren, Colin and Charlotte, 2 great nieces, Lila and Lainey White, and one great nephew, Luca Varley. She was predeceased by her parents, David and June Basile.

     A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM Friday, October 3, 2025 at Highland Presbyterian Church located at 2380 Cloverdale Ave. NW, Winston-Salem, NC.  The family will receive friends following the service at the church.

     In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Walking In Circles Horse Rescue at www.wncr.org or to the Glioblastoma Foundation, 2451 Croasdaile Farm Pkwy, Suite 109, Durham, NC, 27705.