Jarmila Janatová

Jarmila Janatová
January 9, 1939 ~ July 13, 2020
It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Dr. Jarmila Janatová, on July 13, 2020, age 81, following an extended period of illness. She passed away in her lovely Salt Lake City home of almost 44 years, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
Born on the eve of World War II in the southern Bohemian town of Písek to Jarmila and Jan Kovárík (d. 1945.) She was raised by her mother, stepfather Josef Tichý, and aunt Helena Kováríková, all of whom instilled in her the love of learning, organization, hard work, music, and nature. Completing her primary and secondary education in Prague, she earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Charles University in 1965.
Dr. Janatová emigrated from her native home of Czechoslovakia in 1966, first to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, and then to the village of Frodsham in England, where she raised two children while writing a major scientific review article and continuing laboratory work at the University of Liverpool. After another pair of trans-Atlantic relocations, she ultimately settled with Dr. Jirí Janata and their children in Salt Lake City in 1976.
Fondly known as "Dr. JJ" by her students and colleagues, she navigated life with a generous and kind heart. Passionate about her children, science, music, art, and the outdoors, she managed to weave these facets of her life together seamlessly with fortitude and grace.
Despite facing many professional challenges as a Czech American immigrant and mother of two children, she persevered in her scientific research despite having to move her laboratory thirteen times over the course of her career, not including a sabbatical year that she spent at Oxford University in England. Dr. Janatová retired as Professor Emeritus from the University of Utah.
As a researcher, Dr. Janatová made significant contributions regarding the structure and function of immune system proteins. In 2020, the International Complement Society selected Dr. Janatová to be among the first set of recipients of the ICS Pioneering Women Award for her important discoveries pertaining to the thiolester bond in complement proteins.
Dr. Janatová was a lifetime patron of the arts. She attended countless performances by the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Nova Chamber Music, Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City, International Children's Choir, Mundi Project, Ballet West, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
Dr. Jarmila Janatová is survived by: son Petr Janata (Katie Henry), daughter Hana Janatová (Andre Richard Wirick), grandson Oliver Henry Janata, grandchild Sam Fialka Henry Janata, brother Josef Tichý (Jana Tichá), and nephews Josef "Pepa" Tichý (Lucie Tichá) and Ondrej Tichý.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Utah Symphony, Nova Chamber Music Series, or the Mundi Project.