Janice Lanford (Turner) Rusk was born on August 12, 1931, in Atlanta, Georgia. Janice was a beloved sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt, cousin, and friend to so many. Janice was the epitome of southern hospitality. There was never a guest that felt unwelcome or a new acquaintance that went without invitation. She grew up surrounded by family in and around Lilburn and Decatur, and Georgia would continue to be an anchor as she moved into adulthood and the life of an Army wife to George Mitchell Turner who she married in 1951. In 1952, she graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English, she was the first in her family to do so. That same year, she moved to Fort Benning with her Infantry officer husband, the first move in their life of many, taking them to Texas, Alabama, Kansas, Virginia, Nebraska, and even Verona Italy, which she would later recall as being “time out of time” and her “true home.”
Throughout the chaos of Army life, her husband deployed to Korea and Vietnam, she became a mother to Lane Turner Norton, taught elementary and secondary school at almost every duty station to which they were assigned, and even found time to pursue higher education at Mary’s College in Kansas and at the University of Northern Virginia. During that time, she developed many long-lasting friendships to uphold and sustain one another throughout all of life’s ups and downs. Eventually, she, Lane, and newly retired George made their final move back to Athens, Georgia, where she continued teaching, even being named Clarke County Teacher of the Year, and concurrently starting a holiday gift shop, the Holiday House (attached to the Cofer family garden center).
The next 50 years of her life were spent in Athens, building community, being a wonderfully involved and loving grandmother “Mammy” to her granddaughter Sarah, as well as to all of Sarah’s classmates and friends, and eventually handling rental properties with her beloved second husband, Richard Geary Rusk. In this new stage, she continued to have such passion for life and others expanding her learning, growth, and spiritual direction. She was involved with the Shalem Program, a Benedictine course in Jungian based spiritual direction at the Pecos Monastery in New Mexico, taking classes with the Jung Institute out of Zurich, Switzerland, was a Stephen Minister, was involved with the Bethlehem Ministry in Haiti, and an active member of Emmanuel Episcopal and St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Churches.
With her husband Rich, she showed her fiercely passionate drive to make the world a better place than they found it. She was his constant companion and force behind the Moore’s Ford Memorial Committee, an organization for racial reconciliation and remembrance, and many organizational efforts to promote awareness of climate issues in the area. Above all, she will be remembered as someone who loved life with a passion. But even more than that, she loved others. She had a caring heart that would hold a place for everyone she met. She could find beauty in others and by knowing and being loved by her, you could see that beauty reflected back.
Janice died peacefully at her home in Athens, Georgia April 30, 2024 surrounded by family, friends, and the wonderful caregivers who gave so much to her over the past few years. She was pre-deceased by her husband Richard Geary Rusk and her niece, Anne Lanford. She is survived by her daughter and son-in law Lane and Jim Norton, granddaughter Sarah Norton (Ryan Dodd), Stepchildren Andy Rusk (Danielle), Ryan Gologergen, and Sarah Rusk Jacobson (Tyler). By her younger brother, William T. Lanford (Patricia), niece Lynn Lanford Storck (John), and grandnieces Emily and Kristin Storck. Janice loved and was loved by so many, to name them all here would be too much, but be assured, if you were lucky enough to know her, you were loved by her and she was not shy to tell you so, another of her many gifts. Along with her daughter and granddaughter, she was steeped in the world of dreams, archetypes, and symbols, so please look for her there, where she will surely be waiting with open arms, a knowing smile, and an invitation to take a seat and stay a while.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 29, at 2:00 p.m., at St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, 3195 S. Barnett Shoals Rd., Athens, Georgia 30605.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the capital campaign at St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church at https://www.stgregoryathens.org/capital-improvement-campaign and/or Clinique Esperance in Haiti by way of Bethlehem Ministry in Athens, Georgia at https://www.bethlehemministry.org/ways-you-can-help
Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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