Janice "Tagalong" Kerns

Janice "Tagalong" Bernice Stephens Miller Kerns, 90, long-time resident of Townsend, TN, went to her Heavenly home on Sunday, May 25, 2025, while under Hospice care at Waters/Asbury Nursing Home in Maryville. The first child of father, James Hubert Stephens, deceased 1985, and mother, Jeanette Morris Stephens, deceased 1991, Janice was born January 28, 1935, in a small rough-hewn frame house in the Castalia community of Hardee County, near Ona, FL.

Janice is survived by daughter, Jatana Lea Miller Vanek, No. Ft. Myers, FL, and son, Jonathan Dale Miller (Mary Lou), No. Ft. Myers, FL. She was pre-deceased by daughter, Ursula Dawn Kerns Cooke Shoffner, Townsend, TN, on January 10, 2025. She is also survived by brother, James Morris Stephens, Gainesville, FL, sister, Maria Ann Stephens Brosius, Gainesville, FL, and younger brother, Arnold Lamar Stephens, Cross Creek, FL., grandson Matthew Justin Miller (Jennifer), No. Ft. Myers, FL, granddaughter Molly Alison Miller Yetter (Eric), Cape Coral, FL., and great-grands, Justin Miller, Trinity Miller, and Adelynn Yetter, nephews Rexford Holt Stephens (Leslie) and Stephen Anthony Brosius. She has three other grandchildren.

Janice graduated from Ft. Myers (FL) Jr.-Sr. High School in 1953 and married Harold V. Miller, Ft, Myers, FL, that same year. They had two children, Jatana and Jon Dale. In 1960, she married James R. Kerns. Their daughter Dawn was born in 1963 in Punta Gorda, FL. When Jim became a national park ranger, they moved to Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands (FL) National Seashore until 1973 when they were transferred to their dream location: Tremont Ranger Station, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just outside Townsend, TN. About 1978, Jan and Dawn moved into Townsend, and she went to work at Blount National Bank, Maryville. In 1983, Jan returned to Florida to assist in caring for her terminally ill father. After he passed, she was employed at University of Florida, IFAS (Gainesville) as a secretary in Ag Engineering. After she retired in 1998, she returned to her beloved Smoky Mountains and Townsend, TN. She began working for the Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA), most latter years at Sugarlands Visitor Center, handling "tastings". In 2013, she resigned to be sole caregiver to her disabled daughter, Dawn, until Dawn's move to Asbury Nursing Home in 2022. Jan was a blessing to, and greatly blessed by, special caring friends in Townsend: Angela and David Wilson, Linda Batch, Lynette Batch, and Pam Hayes.

Jan's long-time passion in life was backpacking and hiking. She had an unfaltering dream of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, which she was achieving by hiking two weeks at a time each year. Sadly, that dream was crushed in 1997 when she fell on the AT near Wytheville, VA, and broke her left leg in four places. She never regained the strength needed to continue, but she maintained her love and loyalty to the hiking community. "Tagalong" leaves behind many AT friends, most notably, her faithful and dearly loved AT buddies: Circuit Rider, Sherlock, Hopeful, Ox, and Free Spirit.

Jan was a strong, practicing Christian and had been a faithful member of Bethel Baptist Church in Townsend for many years.

There will be a "Celebration of Life" for Jan and Dawn on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 12:00 P.M., at Bethel Baptist Church.

The family invites everyone to join them in remembering these loved ones. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to Bethel Baptist Church, 132 Bethel Church Road, Townsend, TN 37882; or to Friends of the Smokies via the link below or by mail at P.O.Box 1660, Kodak, TN 37764.