Janet Shannon

Janet Loretta Shannon (née Laster) passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Hoboken, New Jersey, on November 22, 2024. She was 86 years old. The cause was ovarian cancer. She also suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

Born in 1937 in San Rafael, California, Jan grew up in the town of San Anselmo in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, and lived there until she left for college at the University of California at Davis. She chose UC Davis because, as the site of a renowned agricultural college in a then-rural location, it meant she could bring her horse to college. But she later transferred to San Francisco State University in order to major in journalism. At SF State, she met her husband, Larry Shannon, who was the Editor-in-Chief of the college paper. When her husband was later offered a job at The New York Times, Jan and Larry moved their family to the East Coast, first to New York City and later to suburban New Jersey. Jan and Larry were married for 46 years, until Larry's death in 2004.

Jan was politically active in the 1960s and 1970s, and she took her children with her to civil rights marches and anti-war protests. In 1968, she served as a delegate from the State of New York for Eugene McCarthy at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. While there, she and other delegates were arrested when they peacefully protested against the strong-arm tactics the Chicago police were deploying against anti-Vietnam War demonstrators. Her activism served as a role model for her children, who learned early to stand up for what they believed was right.

Jan was an accomplished cook and had several recipes published in major food magazines. She was also a freelance travel writer, and published a number of articles in travel magazines, newspapers and travel guides. In 1995, Jan and her husband co-authored a book, Welcome to Home-Based Business Computing, which foreshadowed the modern trend of working from home. Jan served as the Associate Public Information Officer for New Jersey's Bergen County for several years, and was also a public relations consultant. For many years Jan worked as a regional manager of volunteers for AFS Intercultural Programs, a nonprofit international youth exchange organization. Later, she worked in the travel industry as a travel agent.

In retirement, Jan fulfilled her lifelong dream of traveling the world, eventually visiting 65 countries (many more than once). In 2012, Jan wrote a travel memoir, Life's Journey, chronicling her world travels (to only 50 countries, by the age of 75, at that time.) Among her favorite destinations were Ghana (where she taught in an elementary school under the auspices of a nonprofit called Global Volunteers); Kenya (where she followed in her father's footsteps by going on safari, though in her case she wielded only a camera); Mexico (where she fell in love with the city of San Miguel de Allende in the country's central highlands); Israel (where she and a friend participated in an archaeological dig); and Denmark (where her daughter had been an exchange student, leading one of her Danish host brothers later to live with Jan and Larry in New Jersey for a year).

Before moving in with her daughter and receiving hospice care starting in late October 2024, Jan lived for ten years in the Harrogate Retirement Community in Lakewood, New Jersey. Jan was a beloved figure at Harrogate, and served for more than two years as the President of Harrogate's Residents Council. Jan's family thanks the Harrogate staff and residents for the lovely send-off they gave her at a farewell party in October.

Jan is survived by her daughter Careen Shannon (and husband William Considine); her son Patrick Shannon (and wife Jennifer Sandifer); her Danish son Kim Lorenzen (and wife Anne Lorenzen); three grandchildren and one step-grandchild; eight great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

The family is holding private funeral arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent in Jan's honor to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Donations can be made online at www.michaeljfox.org, or a check can sent by mail to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741.