Janet Elizabeth Hilton

Janet Elizabeth Hilton February 22, 1925 - May 7, 2015 Our loving Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt and Daughter, Janet Elizabeth Hilton was born on February 22, 1925 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Donald M. Draper and Rowena M. Myers Draper. She lived on 63rd St, in a development called Windsor Hills. At that time, their home was surrounded by fields and rolling hills. She said the weeds were so high she could hide and her mother couldn’t find her. Now, it’s a busy city area in Central Los Angeles. Janet’s father was a policeman and her mother was a music teacher, teaching piano. Even though they lived through the Great Depression, her family was fairly comfortable compared to other families across the country. Her parents owned their own home and kept their jobs. Janet excelled in school and loved to read, something she did her entire life. We still have her collection of childhood books. When Janet was 10, her sister Marjorie was born. Soon after, her parents divorced. Her mother was forced to take on more work and Janet had to grow-up very fast. She was helping her mother care for her baby sister. From then on she was like a second mom to her sister, always looking out for her. Janet never quite got over the divorce of her parents. When Janet graduated high school, she took some bookkeeping classes and landed a job at The Broadway department store, downtown Los Angeles. In the early 1940’s most young people didn’t have a car like they do today. She took the bus to work. Also, Janet, like her mother, was an excellent seamstress. She made all of her own stylish work clothes. In 1944, after work, one of her friends encouraged her to come to the Biltmore Hotel for drinks. It was that evening she met Bill, the love of her life. Bill, a Marine, was on leave before he was sent to Iwo Jima during WWII. Bill and Janet would have been married 70 years on May 26, 2015. Bill and Janet have four children, Dean, Sharon, Mark and Donald. They built a good life together, and Janet’s love and care made our life as a family even more special. She loved music, so records and radio were playing all the time. Because of her love of reading, there were always weekly visits to the library. And, the subscriptions to the book club brought new books every month. She continued to sew throughout her life, so we always had beautiful handmade clothes. Janet knitted and crocheted, as well. She always grew a garden with vegetables and roses. We all loved her fabulous cooking, especially pizza or taco night. Everything was always made from scratch. Later in life she took up quilting and, as always, she thought about her family first. We all received beautiful creative quilts. Janet’s lifetime was always filled with service for others. She volunteered as a school room mother, she was PTA president of our elementary school, and she volunteered her time helping the church serve the less fortunate. Janet and Bill attended Bible study classes together. And, they both went back to school and took college courses. Janet was extremely patient with her family. She never got mad at us but we knew when she was disappointed. And, we kids knew when we’d pushed her to her limits when she’d call her mother. Nothing was worse than to have our grandmother know we’d been misbehaving. We also loved to make her laugh. There are so many stories to tell about Janet’s love for her family and friends, she is well loved by us all. We will miss her so much. Her guidance and example of living a loving life will not be forgotten. We love you Mom, Grandma and Aunt Janet, and a day won’t go by when we you are not in our minds and hearts. Love to you from: Dean and Cheryl, Sharon and Gary, Mark, Donald and Kendra, Michael and Zaneta, Shannon and Jeff, Shawna and Eric, Heidi and Paul, Chelsea and Dustin, Robin and Denise, and all of your great-grandchildren Emily, Taylor, Katie, Lexie, Zachary, Orion, Callula, Oliver, Lilla and Kemper.