Janet Lucas

Janet Lynn Lucas (1943-2024) Janet "Jan" Lynn Lucas, 81, of Olympia, Washington, passed away on October 15, 2024 at Tacoma General Hospital. Janet was born on July 18, 1943 to Earl and Violet Fleming in Chicago, Illinois. After she graduated from Allegany High School in 1961, she went on to receive a degree in education from James Madison in 1965. She was a lifelong teacher, starting her career in 9th grade English at Andover High School in Maryland. She was a substitute teacher for various school districts in the Olympia, Washington area beginning in the early 1980s, a role she never retired from: her last assignment was just two weeks before her passing. Janet had held full-time teaching positions in the middle of her substituting career, at Cascade Christian School in Puyallup and Bear Creek Christian School in Redmond in the 2000s. Janet was an adventurer. She often reminisced about her two-month ski trip across Europe in her 20s with friends, and could be found many summers on the East Coast with those same friends decades later. She married Gary Lucas in 1972, and the two of them pioneered their way to the West Coast, with short but memorable stays in California and Alaska, eventually settling in the Olympia area. They had two children, Zach and Tim. She was deeply connected to her faith in Jesus and attended many Olympia-area churches over the years. Some of her favorite times were having long breakfasts with friends where they would talk about their shared faith. For Janet, strawberries symbolized her faith in God's promises. Janet was preceded in death by parents Earl and Violet Fleming (Cook) and stepfather Archibald Cook, who married Violet after Earl died in the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. She is survived by her husband Gary D. Lucas; son, Zach (Kristi) Lucas of Canby, Oregon; son, Tim (Laura) Lucas of Redmond, Washington; and five grandchildren, Kali, Aiden, Asher, Audrey, and Amirah. A viewing will be held Monday, October 28 from 10-11 AM at Woodlawn Funeral Home in Lacey, Washington. A graveside service will immediately follow at Pioneer Cemetery, also in Lacey. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the North Thurston Education Foundation at www.ntef.org. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Janet, please visit our Tree Store.