Janice F. Carlson

Janice F. Carlson, 84 of Charlestown, RI passed away peacefully on September 29, 2025. Bornin Pawtucket, RI on March 7, 1941. She was the daughter of the late John F. Rattie and Rose M. (Masse) Rattie. Janice was the wife and very good friend of Philip A. Carlson who passed in 1992.

A 1961 graduate of Saint Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing, Janice worked at the Jane Brown Unit of Rhode Island Hospital for 38 years…many as an evening charge nurse. After retirement she volunteered at nursing homes and a woman's resource center teaching mainly poetry and creative writing subjects. Through that outreach she became a Legal Advocate for Victims of Domestic Violences in Wakefield, RI for ten years at the courthouse in South Kingstown.

While working as a nurse Jancie attended Rhode Island College and graduated with Honors in English for completing an independent study with Thomas Cobb… the writer of the novel Crazy Heart… which later became an academy award winning motion picture in 1989.

Janice also received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Emerson University in Boston in 1991.

She served on the Board of Operation Clean Government as second Vice Chair for several years in the early 2020's.

Janice also loved photographing anything and everything in nature and animals big and small. Later, she made cards from these thousands of photos and they sold for many years at Belmont Market in Wakefield, RI.

She volunteered at local animal shelters for many years, Charlestown…Westerly…Peacedale.

Janice's passion was helping people and animals.

She is survived by her sister Jeanne Morrison of Foster, RI.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your local animal shelter.

Burial will be private.