Janet Elizabeth (White) Jarboe

As she arrives in Paradise, she will be greeted by a host of loved ones: husband Michael Owen Jarboe, daughter Beth Ann Jarboe Hardesty, parents James White and Ruth Pratt White, brothers James “Skeeter” White and Johnny White, sisters-in-law Marie White, Shirley Staples, and Norma Davis, brother-in-law David Davis, niece Linda Crable, and friends Beverley Koch and Sheree Karr.

She will be missed by her beloved descendants who remain on this Earth: daughters Jami Jarboe Spears (John) and Joli Jarboe (Lesley Brosick), son Michael Brent Jarboe (Lori), grandchildren Sydney and Macy Spears, Nathaniel and Katherine Jarboe, Nina Marler (Allen), and Schuyler Powers, and great-grandchildren Owen Bratton and Dashiell, Marigold, Storey, and Jubilee Marler. Her extended family and friends will miss her equally: sisters-in-law Arlene Hampton, Debbie Boles, and Becky Jarboe, brothers-in-law Charlie Boles and Mike Jarboe, nieces Ellen White, Carol Nathan, Terry Staples Maxwell, Brenda Britt, Betty Pague, Patricia Manry, Phyllis Starr, Janet McCorkle, Emily Jarboe, and Kailey Jarboe, nephews David White, Jeff Staples, Tim Staples, Steve Davis, Brad Hampton, and Johnathon Boles, along with all their spouses, children, and grandchildren, cousin Barbara Conway, goddaughter Amy Karr, best friend Sharon Mann, all her friends and her Proctor Lane family.

Special love and recognition is given to her brother- and sister-in-law, William and Patricia Jarboe, and friend Tammy Jackson, who were Janet’s roommates for the past year and will continue to care for her dear canine children, Quigley and Sug.

Janet graduated from Presentation Academy in 1960 and went on to be one of the first class of women admitted to the University of Louisville’s Speed Scientific School. However, after her father’s passing, she realized her passion lay in nursing. She earned her LPN and spent her career working in geriatrics, both as a private duty nurse and in nursing homes, Green Meadows, Northfield, and Westminster Terrace, all while concurrently working as a rural mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. Her ultimate nursing job came in caring for her daughter, Beth, staying by her side daily for the final year of Beth’s life.

While she had a busy and fulfilling career, her domestic life was equally vibrant. Janet married the love of her life, Mike Jarboe, in 1962 at the age of 20. Their first child, Jami, was born a year later, with Beth, Joli, and Brent following. Janet and Mike were a fun-loving couple who enjoyed square dancing and traveling with their friends. Her children and all their friends and loved ones never wanted for a warm welcome and a hot meal. Some of her children’s most-loved dishes include fried chicken, beef stroganoff, gravy, dressing, and no-bake cookies.

Janet was a devoted Catholic, and loved volunteering for picnics, fish fries, and bereavement committees at St. Francis Xavier, St. Bartholomew, St. Aloysius, and Holy Family Parishes. Since the pandemic, she was an attendee of the televised Mass of the Air.

Nicknamed “Minnie” by her grandchildren, she was her family’s center of gravity and safe haven. She was known for adopting all the strays, whether that stray was an exchange student brought home for the holidays by her granddaughter, or an orphaned opossum from the woods by her home. Her open heart and her sharp wit combined to make her a force of love to be reckoned with, and we will miss her unceasingly.

Visitation will be held Friday, July 19, 2024 from 4-8PM at Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, and funeral will be held Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 11AM at Holy Family Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Janet’s memory to Mass of the Air or Pawsibility.