Janet Sawyer Myers

Janet Myers, of Tampa, Florida, passed away peacefully on October 31, 2020. She resided at Bayshore Pointe Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Tampa for a year prior to her death, unfortunately secluded for much of that time due to the Covid pandemic. She was born on February 3, 1937 to L. Warren and Barbara Sawyer and was raised in Wenham, Massachusetts. She was predeceased by her parents, sister Margaret (Peggy) Marshall, and her husband, Donald R. Myers, DMD. She is survived by her children Rick (and his children Alex and Elizabeth), Jamie (and his daughter Anne), Lynda Barack (and her husband Ryan and sons Benjamin and Seth), her stepdaughter Kathie (and her husband Dwight and children Robert, Anne, Edward, and Lily), and her cousin, Priscilla Brown.

Janet attended nursing school at Salem Hospital School of Nursing and worked as a nurse in one way or another for most of her adult life including for the Red Cross Blood Mobile, as a school nurse, and finally, running her husband’s dental practice for many years.

She married in 1963 and after having her two sons she and Don decided to see what life might be like in the Caribbean. They moved first to Puerto Rico in 1967, where Jan navigated living on a beautiful island where she didn’t speak the language, and then to St. Thomas in 1972. Now mother to three small children, Janet became one of a small army of mothers watching children swim and sail from the beach, mostly at the St. Thomas Yacht Club. Jan loved the islands and their people and most especially, the wide variety of friends she made in the sailing community. She folded sails, packed lunches, and most notably, oversaw the scoreboard for the renowned Rolex Cup Regatta for several years. She taught many sailors the art of patience while they waited for her to post race results with her trusty grease pencil.

Don and Jan left St. Thomas after retirement in the early 2000s and opted against returning full time to their native New England and instead moved to Tampa, where Jamie and Lynda also live. After Don’s passing in 2005, Jan did a lot of traveling, enjoying time with friends and family in New England and St. Thomas while her health permitted. She was a talented knitter and crafter and was fortunate to find wonderful friends in Tampa through these pursuits. She was an uncommon woman who embraced wherever she was, learned its history and ways, and was quick to make friends.

Because of Covid restrictions, the memorial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Jan’s church, Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, Tampa.