Dr. Janet Culhane Tucker Ph.D.

1941 - 2023

Dr. Janet Culhane Tucker, Ph.D.

March 19, 1941 - December 26, 2023

Sparta, Tennessee - Janet Clark Culhane Tucker was born March 19, 1941 in New York City to Janet H. and Leonard B. Clark.

Jan was an intelligent, engaging, warm individual with a bright smile who spent her life helping people across the country to live their lives as fully as possible. She enjoyed athletic pursuits and believed that there was strong connection between physical and mental health, a tenant that guided her professional and personal life.

At age 7 her family moved from the east coast out to southern California. She grew up in Claremont at the foot of Mount Baldy, where she enjoyed skiing, swimming, tennis and any other activity the girls were allowed to join. Many of her friends from Claremont High School remained close throughout her life.

After graduating from Pomona College, she headed back east to Washington DC, where she met her first husband, raised 2 children, earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from George Washington University, helped establish the Palisades Swim & Tennis club and became a loyal Washington Redskin fan.

In the early 1980s Jan left the DC area and moved to central Kentucky. She and her sister, Sandra, were owners of Glen Echo Fam, where they raised Thoroughbred race horses as well as goats, ducks, geese, dogs and cats. Jan taught briefly at Transylvania University in Lexington and worked with the University of Kentucky athletic department to help athletes use relaxation, visualization and focus techniques to improve their sports performance. She was very involved in the Lexington Tennis Club and Masters Swimming; she was ranked top 10 Butterfly stroke for her age group nationally and was a state champion doubles tennis player. Her time in Lexington made her a loyal Big Blue fan.

In the late 1980s Jan moved back to Southern California with her new husband, Gary, where she continued to share her passion for her work, people, swimming and tennis. She developed a successful private practice in Psychology as well as a small fitness club that was dedicated to a new philosophy of Slow Motion training designed for busy clients. She was a charter member of the Paseo Tennis Club in Santa Clarita. She was a very active member of World Team Tennis, working alongside celebrity athletes to promote the sport of tennis throughout southern California communities. She and her husband were ranked in the top 20 nationally in mixed doubles in their age group before her knees forced her to slow down.

Following retirement, Jan and Gary moved to a Senior Living Community in Pleasant Hill, TN. Although she was there less than 4 years she became an active part of the community, including being a volunteer docent at the local museum, swimming daily, playing bridge, and hosting holiday gatherings.

Jan is preceded in death by her parents and her only sister. She is survived by her husband, Gary; two children; Sharon T. Culhane and William (Bill) Francis Culhane, Jr., 3 grandchildren; Cade, Amanda and Reed, one step-daughter, Nancy and one step-grandchild, Ruby.

Jan maintained strong relationships with so many of the people she encountered throughout her life. She will be remembered for her strength, generosity and for genuinely caring for the people around her.