Janet C Sanford

Janet Sanford died peacefully in her sleep on September 20, 2019. She was 89 years old. After living with her eldest daughter Susan in Los Angeles for a few years, she moved into The Terraces of Phoenix, a graduated living facility where she died.

Janet was born in Mesa, Arizona on the farm of her parents, Julia and Mike Sliskovich. She was the third of four children. She is preceded in death by her older sisters Helen Petersen and Virginia Johnson. Her younger brother Thomas Sliskovich is living in the Mesa area.

Janet attended Mesa Elementary school and Mesa High School. Upon graduation, though her teachers urged her to attend college, she immediately went to work as a budding journalist for the Mesa Tribune where she became the Women’s Editor. After quickly demonstrating her aptitude in the world of journalism, she was hired to be a reporter for the Women’s pages of the Arizona Republic.

Early during Janet’s tenure at the Arizona Republic she met and married editor Thomas (Tom) Kyle Sanford II. They were married for nearly 25 years until Tom died in 1977. They are survived by four children Thomas Kyle Sanford III, Michael Robert Sanford, Susan Kay Sanford and Sally Beth Shepard.

While raising their children, Janet did a variety of freelance jobs writing, ghost writing and managing public relations. In 1970 she went back to work full time writing for the Today’s Women section of the Phoenix Gazette. She was promoted to Editor and soon transformed the section into Today’s Living. She worked for the Gazette for 18 years.

Janet moved east first taking a job as an Editor with the Farm Journal in Philadelphia, PA. She was quickly recruited away to be an Associate Director of the American Press Institute in Reston, VA. A few years later she was asked by Gannett Newspapers to join as one of the founding editors of the revolutionary national newspaper concept - USA Today. The Gannett organization identified Janet’s talent and asked her to move out to California to be publisher of their Visalia Times Delta and eventually also for the Tulare Advance Register. This move brought her to the state where all her kids were living in addition to boosting her career. Janet became a respected, leading member of the Visalia community taking active roles in numerous business and volunteer organizations. She retired at 65.

During Janet’s time in Visalia, she met and married Richard Amandes. After retirement they moved to Murphys, California where they enjoyed golf, friends and visiting family. Richard died in 2001 and Janet returned to her native Phoenix area. She enjoyed many years reconnecting with old friends and family and making new friends. Janet was a lifelong Democrat and worked hard to support the party. She believed that knocking on doors was just as important as donating money, so she did both.

Janet especially enjoyed the close bond she had with her eight grandchildren James Alexander Sanford, Caitlin Frances Sanford, Kari Beth Sandifer, Sanford Thomas Kinsock, Scott Michael Shepard, Julia Rose Kinsock, Alison Michelle Sanford and Andrada Mischa Sanford.

Over the years at The Terraces her children and grandchildren had many opportunities to visit with her. Being in Phoenix, her son Kyle visited multiple times a week and took her for long walks and regular breakfasts. Susan visited quarterly, and she and Kyle teamed up to manage her affairs that she meticulously prepared before dementia robbed her of much of her capabilities. Michael took her on fun driving adventures while Sally popped in regularly for short visits. It was a team effort because they wanted her to know she was deeply loved.

Janet was well-loved by all who knew her. She was a wonderful mother, wife, sister, grandmother, friend and mentor. She will be missed.

Please join the family for A Celebration of Life held in her honor on November 30th from 3 to 5 PM at the Hermosa Inn. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://act.alz.org/).