Janice Elaine Lee

Janice Elaine (Atherton) Lee

Janice Elaine (Atherton) Lee, 71, passed peacefully at home surrounded by family on August 14, 2025, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Born on June 12, 1954, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Raymon Neal Atherton, Jr., and Miriam Evelyn (Marcum) Atherton, Janice was the oldest of four children. She grew up alongside her brothers Larry, Michael, and Garry Atherton.

She attended Rolling Hills Elementary, Meadowbrook Middle, and Evans High School, where she played alto saxophone in the band, learned organ, and faithfully kept score for her brothers' baseball games. She was also an active member of her youth group at Hope Community.

Janice went on to attend Valencia Community College and later earned a degree in Horticulture from Florida Southern College. She returned to school later in life to pursue her certification as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), demonstrating her lifelong love of learning and helping others.

Her first job was with Walt Disney World during high school and her time at Valencia. She later worked in the library while at Florida Southern University. In 1973, while attending Valencia, she met the love of her life, Ronald Calvin Lee. Together, they moved to Immokalee, Florida, where Ron worked as a grove manager for the Collier Company and Jan served as nursery manager for the entire operation, growing roses, avocados, and oranges.

In the 1980s, Ron and Jan bought a plane and both learned to fly, creating many funny stories of landing in fields and dodging power lines. Though Jan was afraid of heights beyond her petite frame, flying became a place where her courage truly shone.

Jan and Ron joyfully welcomed their daughter, Katherine Mackenzie Lee, in 1990. Becoming a mother was her greatest blessing, and she poured her warmth, love, and kindness into raising Katie. At the same time, she and Ron built their own business, Sara's Roses in Sorrento, Florida, named after their beloved boxer dog. With determination and care, they grew the nursery into a thriving business, selling to larger retail companies nationally while living in Mount Dora.

Some of Katie's fondest memories were riding to school in the mornings and back to the nursery in the afternoons with her mom, the car filled with music from Queen, Led Zeppelin, Boston, Chicago, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Janice's life was one of kindness, quiet strength, and courage. She was a devoted wife, mother, and friend, whose gentleness and sunny spirit left an imprint on everyone she met.

She is survived by her husband, Ron, and daughter, Katherine. She was preceded in death by her parents, Miriam in 2004, and Ray in 2011.

Services will be held at Brewer & Sons Funeral Home in Clermont, FL. For those who wish to honor Janice's memory, the family welcomes flowers, or donations may be made in her name to the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org) or an animal charity of your choosing.

Her love lives on in the roses and animals she nurtured, in the family she adored, and in the many lives she touched.