Janet E. Hodges, Overland Park passed away May 23, 2016. A celebration of Jan’s life will be held on May 26 at 11am at the Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania St. Lawrence, KS 66044.
Janet Elizabeth Henry Hodges, 63, passed away on May 23, 2016. She was born in Jacksonville, FL to Martin and Jeanette Henry, but as the daughter of a Naval aviator, she and brothers Philip and Stephen called many places across the United States and the world home. She graduated from Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria, VA in 1970 and went on to graduate from the University of Kansas where she received her bachelor’s in education and met her husband Michael, whom she married in 1975. After teaching in Rossville, KS and Central High School in Kansas City, Kansas, Jan earned a master’s degree in photography from UMKC and dedicated herself to motherhood, raising four children, Elizabeth, Hanna, Maxwell, and Alexander, in whom she instilled her wanderlust, passion for photography, art, and music, love of learning, and the importance of family.
The last 15 years of Jan’s life were spent suffering from the effects of early onset dementia; however, the hundreds of thousands of photographs she took in the 48 years prior are her legacy to her family and evidence of a life well-lived. Not only was Jan a mother and a wife, she was her husband and children’s biggest fan and number one supporter and could be found in the audience for everything from music concerts to big jury trials to track meets. She never missed a chance to celebrate a birthday or a special occasion with her friends, made everyone who entered her home feel welcomed and special, and threw herself into everything she loved, from teaching art at St. Michael’s Preschool to cheering for Jayhawk basketball.
Two days before her death, she was blessed with the birth of her first grandson, Michael Alexander Parker.
What a beautiful tribute for such a beautiful woman and true friend. We are all better people for having known Jan. My condolences to all of you and my heartfelt congratulations to you all for the addition of Michael to your family.
Love this. beautifully written.
I am so sorry to read of Janet’s death. I lost touch with her 15+ years ago. We shared a special friendship in high school while living in Naples, Italy. Please accept my condolences.❤️