Janet Helen Renz

Janet Helen Renz was born in Butte, Mont., in July 1925 to Jesse and Helen Ragsdale, and passed away after a lengthy illness Tuesday, March 15, 2011, in San Luis Obispo. She was raised in western Montana and left home to attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., where she graduated with a degree in nursing in 1948. She then worked as a registered nurse in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1954, Janet married Louis Renz, a naval officer, with whom she started a family. For the first 15 years of their married life, Janet and Louis moved throughout the United States with Louis'' various duty assignments. In 1967, they settled in Walla Walla, Wash., where they raised their family while Janet worked in a variety of health care positions. She was always an active member of her community and cared deeply for the people around her, especially those in need. She enjoyed opera, art, rose gardening, entertaining and most of all, traveling the world with Louis, her beloved husband of 57 years. She lived a full life into retirement, and eventually returned to California in 1995. Her family would like to thank all of the caregivers at Sydney Creek for their loving attention to Janet. Janet is survived by her husband, Louis; daughters Lark Granger (Rich) and Lori; son, Tristan (Leslie) and grandchildren Logan and Amanda; and sister, Doris Jean Sherburne. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 20, 2011, at the First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer''s Association.