Janet Elizabeth Hurley

For 97 years the world was a better place. Janet Hurley enriched the lives of those fortunate enough to know her with her gracious disposition, her tolerance, her wisdom, her ability to find and create beauty, her talent to infuse any occasion with humor and fun, her practicality, her tenderness toward her cherished Westies, and her sheer delight in living.

Janet brought courage and joyful energy to everything—whether diving, skiing, ice skating, doing head-stands, water aerobics, camping, playing basketball, or sailing a boat she and her sisters eponymously named “Pajama.” She created art with her painting, her cooking, her gardens, her sense of style, her subtle elegance. Even her penmanship was a work of art. She led Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. She was a compass, a rock and a beacon for many. She loved the music styles of her lifetime—Big Bands, Jazz, Sinatra, Rock ’n Roll, Broadway—and she sang along with them all. She championed women’s and human rights. She enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, even when her kids substituted cranberry juice in those final months.

She was everyone’s best friend.

Janet enjoyed an idyllic childhood, surrounded by Nature, at Belmont Farms in Perrysburg, Ohio. During her career as a registered nurse, she served her community and country through her work in schools, private care and as a 1st Lt. Army nurse. While in the Army, she met and married Joseph Hurley, an Air Force officer and pilot. She raised seven children in two countries, nine states, and fourteen towns, finding something to love in each child and something to enjoy in each place.

She was preceded in death by her parents John and Lulu, her husband Joseph, and her sisters Margaret and Patricia. She is survived by her children, Martha, Eric, Patrick, Christopher, Clarissa, Laura and Robert; her grandchildren, Nathan, Allyn, Lindsey, Khaki, Eric and Ian; five great-grandchildren; her sons and daughters-in-law; her brother-in-law Warren Morrison; her nieces and nephews, her dear friend Diana Conti and her last beloved Westie.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Janet’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Audubon Society, the National Park Service, or your favorite winery.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.grandprairiefh.com for the Hurley family.