Janice Loa Nelson Jarvis

1936 - 2020

Jan Jarvis was born in Pocatello, Idaho on June 3, 1936, the youngest child of Charles Norman Nelson and Clara Alice Henderson Nelson. She inherited her love of children and Christmas from her father, of doing things well from her mother, of laughter from her brother Fred, and of music from her sister Wyla. She often recounted how her father risked her mother's ire by splurging on a sled for Christmas to the tune of a nickel. Early Childhood Education was both the Bachelor's Degree she earned from Brigham Young University in 1958 and her life's work. After graduating, she taught 4th grade in Phoenix, where she met George Edward Jarvis. They married in 1961 and moved to Los Angeles where George practiced law. She dedicated her life to family and children - her three sons and thousands of others. An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jan served for decades in the Primary, the children's organization in the church. As a frequent chorister, she made music time extremely fun with a song apron and engaging poster boards. And, she served as a tremendous Primary President for a decade. Professionally, she taught 1st and 2nd grade at Warner Avenue Elementary from ages 60 to 72, and was a teacher's aide there for the 15 years before and the 10 years after. She was a friend to every child she ever met and they instantly knew she loved them and expected them to excel. She could brighten a child's day with her smile and could silence a room with a look. She would play pickle or basketball with her children, and was so fun to play hide-and-seek with that the neighborhood kids came to the door asking if she could come out and play.Jan's service was marked by creativity as well. She sang beautifully. She was a terrific painter and her art hung proudly in her living room throughout her life. She made fantastic dolls for holidays and exquisite Halloween costumes, and spent a half-century exploring the multi-faceted medium of glitter. Despite her kindness and warmth and childlike wonder, no one has ever seen Jan Jarvis back down from a fight or keep from speaking her mind. She caught bank robbers, defended herself successfully in court for a traffic violation, would loudly defend children when other adults would dismiss them, and would cheer even more loudly for her kids' sports teams. Her yells are probably still echoing around University High and local basketball gyms and baseball fields. Often, she and George were the only Uni fans who would bother making the trip to watch Uni lose to Crenshaw in the 70s and 80s, but she earned the packed gym's respect by out shouting the Shaw's entire fan-base, though she was outnumbered 1000 to 1.As in life, so in death she kept battling, fighting her longtime blood disorder until the end, winning us extra years with her that her doctors called miraculous. She is survived by her husband George, who cared so well for her in her waning years, her three sons Derek (Jennifer), Brett (Lydgia), and Doug (Natalie), and 9 grandchildren whom she loved dearly. Jan's final resting place will be in the Salt Lake City cemetery. Memorial services in Los Angeles will be determined when the Covid crisis allows.