Janet Smith

Janet Marie Smith, 83, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, passed away surrounded by her loving family on December 27, 2025.

Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota to the late Harold and Eloise Johnson of Oslo, Minnesota, Janet was second eldest of their 11 children. Janet was preceded in death by her three brothers (Michael, Kent, and Ron Johnson). She is survived and sorely missed by her husband of 58 years (Lawrence "Larry" Smith), her two daughters (Melissa Allison and Kathleen Coffman), two sons-in-law (Timothy Allison and Mark Coffman), 4 grandchildren (Jillian Smith, Violet Allison, Jason Coffman, and Callan Coffman), 3 bonus grandchildren (Jacob. Sydney, and Kaileen Coffman), one great-grandchild (Michael Coffman), and her remaining seven siblings (Bob Johnson, Danny Johnson, Raymond Johnson, Mary Johnson, Neal Johnson, Elsa Cook, Liz Brekke).

Janet lived a full and happy life, and without exception she approached the trials that came her way on her own terms. She moved from a farming town of less than 400 people in Minnesota to the San Francisco area of California to live with distant family when she was a young 18 years old. Janet's family in Minnesota owned and operated the local phone company, such as phones were back in the 1940's and 50's, so it was natural that she worked as a telephone operator in California as well. She then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where to nobody's surprise she was employed as a telephone switchboard operator. There she met the love of her life, Larry, and as they say, that's all she wrote! Janet and Larry were wed on March 10, 1967.

After working as a nursing assistant for several years, Janet forwent nursing school for motherhood, and she was a dedicated stay at home mom and household manager for nearly a decade. Her small family moved to Virginia in 1980, and when both daughters were enrolled in school, Janet (who was 40 at the time) enrolled in Mary Washington College with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. While "non-traditional" college students are now commonplace, Janet was nearly always the oldest student in sight when she walked into college classrooms filled with 18- to 21-year olds. More than once, the other students assumed she was the professor! After four years of hard work, she graduated with honors and went on to teach first grade at both Lee Hill Elementary and Brock Road Elementary (Spotsylvania, Virginia).

But Janet decided that she wasn't done there, and while still working full-time and raising two teenaged daughters, she went to the University of Virginia at night to earn her Masters in Reading Education. She then transferred to Riverview Elementary School (Spotsylvania, Virginia) when it opened as their Reading Specialist, working with students from K-5 who struggled with reading fluency. After more than 20 years in the schools, Janet retired in 2008, although she continued to volunteer by reading to children off and on for many years.

A devout Roman Catholic, Janet always said that she considered being a nun for about 5 minutes, at which point she thankfully realized that life in a convent would not suit her. Her true calling was teaching the under 10 crowd, and even before she first walked into her own classroom Janet had the "teacher glare" down to a science. One glance was all it took for the person in her crosshairs to admit to whatever wrongdoing had just occurred (and she often received spontaneous confessions of other shenanigans that she was unaware of as well in the process). Gifted with the proverbial "eyes in the back of her head", she was frequently assigned to mentor student teachers, who without exception expressed their awe of her ability to keep her students happily focused on their studies.

Outside of school hours, Janet suppressed her fear of horses at barns and horse shows as her teenaged daughters gleefully sped by her on the large animals. Her distrust of horses was well-earned; being chased out of a pasture as a child by the neighbor's plow horses will do that to you. To her credit, she braved the chaos that is children on horses on a regular basis in support of her girls, rarely missing an event. Janet kept a smile on her face and encouragement in her words, and even though she spent the entire time internally cringing, she worked hard so that it didn't outwardly show.

Janet was an avid reader her entire life, and she took up crossword puzzles in her

50's to keep her sharp mind well honed. Driven to keep busy, Janet crocheted blankets for a time before switching to creating lap blankets out of fleece for disabled veterans and local domestic violence victims. When she was able, she volunteered to read to the children who were affected by homelessness due to domestic violence, seeking to provide them with a semblance of normality during a difficult time.

Janet was the heart of her family, arranging weekly dinners to keep her children and grandchildren connected to each other as well as to herself. Summers meant "grandma camp" either at her home in Spotsylvania (Virginia) or at her Lake Winnipesaukee (New Hampshire) cottage where for several weeks she would take the youngsters in and spoil them properly. Her daughters were always astounded that the fair but firm mother who raised them had turned into a stereotypical spoiling grandmother, but the grandkids never complained.

While she always displayed the proper manners her midwestern upbringing instilled in her, Janet was never afraid to express her opinion. Often delivered with her signature "teacher glare", she could take you to task without you even knowing that she had done it. However, her diplomacy was legendary, and once she said her piece she would unhesitatingly support her family in whatever endeavor they were undertaking.

Janet's mobility and eyesight may have decreased with age, but she remained an avid learner and teacher to anyone who would listen up until the end. She created memories with her friends and family that will carry them forward through their grief, and she will await them at Heaven's Gate with the patience of long experience. May the winds carry her laughter to the stars, and the waters cradle memories of her in their endless flow.

No official memorial service is being scheduled; instead, Janet's family encourages her loved ones to memorialize her on her own time and in their own way. In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to Empowerhouse, a local charity organization providing shelter and support for domestic violence victims. For more information, please visit www.empowerhouseva.org