Janet Elaine Smellegar
January 25, 1942 – September 21, 2017
Janet Elaine Smellegar, 75, of Sun City Center, Fla., passed away on September 21, 2017, of natural causes. She experienced a rapid decline in health due to complications of several medical conditions.
Jan was born January 25, 1942, in Suffern, N.Y., to Gladys and George Murdock. She grew up on a dairy farm in Rockland County, N.Y., and attended Spring Valley High School, graduating in 1959. She then attended the Katharine Gibbs School in New York City for two years. Over the next few decades she took continuing education classes in computer science, floral arranging and dog grooming. For many years she worked as a secretary in the accounting and legal fields as well as for the State of New York.
She married Robert John Smellegar on July 1, 1961, whom she met while she was 16 and he was home on furlough from the Navy. They had two children, Lori and Jay while living in Rockland County, N.Y. They moved to Orange County, N.Y., in 1978 and resided there until 2000 when they retired to Hillsborough County, Fla.
Over the years she was active in organizations including the Orders of the Eastern Star and Amaranth, as well as the Girl and Boy scouts. She served as a welcome ambassador for Aston Gardens.
Jan was preceded in death by her husband and son. She is survived by her daughter, Lori Holdren, of Eagle Creek, Ore.; her brother Charles Murdock, of Tucson, Ariz., and grandchildren Shawn and Brianne. A memorial service was held on September 23, 2017 at Aston Gardens.
She was a kind, thoughtful person who was always smiling and went out of her way to help others. She is loved by all who knew her and will be dearly missed.
Jan was born January 25, 1942, in Suffern, N.Y., to Gladys and George Murdock. She grew up on a dairy farm in Rockland County, N.Y., and attended Spring Valley High School, graduating in 1959. She then attended the Katharine Gibbs School in New York City for two years. Over the next few decades she took continuing education classes in computer science, floral arranging and dog grooming. For many years she worked as a secretary in the accounting and legal fields as well as for the State of New York.
She married Robert John Smellegar on July 1, 1961, whom she met while she was 16 and he was home on furlough from the Navy. They had two children, Lori and Jay while living in Rockland County, N.Y. They moved to Orange County, N.Y., in 1978 and resided there until 2000 when they retired to Hillsborough County, Fla.
Over the years she was active in organizations including the Orders of the Eastern Star and Amaranth, as well as the Girl and Boy scouts. She served as a welcome ambassador for Aston Gardens.
Jan was preceded in death by her husband and son. She is survived by her daughter, Lori Holdren, of Eagle Creek, Ore.; her brother Charles Murdock, of Tucson, Ariz., and grandchildren Shawn and Brianne. A memorial service was held on September 23, 2017 at Aston Gardens.
She was a kind, thoughtful person who was always smiling and went out of her way to help others. She is loved by all who knew her and will be dearly missed.