Janet Jeanine Williams
Janet Jeanine Williams died peacefully at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
Janet, known as Jan by family and friends, was born on Oct. 20, 1942 at Oxford General Hospital in Furnas County, Neb. The fourth born and second oldest surviving child of Bede Williams and Marie (Bratt) Williams, Jan grew up in the small town of Arapahoe, Neb., where her father owned the second generation Williams Bros. department store and her mother managed the household.
Jan was part of a large, loving, Catholic family. Two siblings, Lonny and Monica, died as babies, yet she and her older brother Ron were eventually joined by brothers and sister Hugh, Suzanne, Greg and Todd. Jan graduated from Arapahoe High School in 1961 and attended College of St. Mary, a Catholic university, in Omaha.
During her high school days, Jan met the son of a farmer and a promising athlete, Bill Mollring, from the neighboring town of Holbrook. They married on Aug. 17, 1963 and later had three boys—Nicholas Shane (Carrie), Tyler Jon (Maci) and Jason William. During their marriage, they lived in Lincoln, then Imperial and eventually moved out west to Monterey, Calif. Jan and Bill divorced in 1983.
As a professional, Jan shifted from a dedicated homemaker to use her resourcefulness, attention to detail and naturally warm personality to become a manager of boutique clothing shops in Carmel, Calif. She relocated to Palm Springs, Calif., after her divorce and became a high performing salesperson in the property escrow and insurance industries, winning the Chicago Title 1989 Affiliate of the Year Award, for instance. Jan also became a regular volunteer hostess at the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament in Palm Springs. During her semi-retirement years, she took on food related service roles. Her last job was working at Barons Market where she loved interacting with customers and fellow employees.
Jan moved again, this time to San Diego, Calif., before temporarily returning to Nebraska to care for her aging mother. When she came back to San Diego, Jan found her final, dearly loved home at Lake Jennings Park Estates, a neighborhood for people 55 years and older in Lakeside, Calif., where she was an active member of the community.
The greatest joy in Jan’s life was her family. Her sons and daughters-in-law were a constant source of pride. However, it was the role as Nana Jan to her four grandchildren—Brooke, Travis, Rosson and Lila—that really made Jan shine. She spent time with her grandchildren whenever possible, either in person or maximizing the benefits of video conferencing technology to virtually be present in their lives.
Jan is survived by her children and grandchildren; her siblings Suzanne (Bill) Ward, Greg (Nancy) Williams and Todd Williams, all of Arizona.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations go to the MRSA Research Center www.kintera.org/site/c.8gKMJYMvF9LWG/b.9208927/k.8EAC/Give_To_Medicine/a..., Becky’s House Women’s Shelter—YWCA San Diego County https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/ywcasandiego or the charity of your choice in Jan’s memory.
A celebration of Jan’s incredible life was held at Lake Jennings Park Estates Community Center on March 25.