Janet Lee Mc Aninch

Janet Lee McAninch, age 76, of Huntington Beach, California, passed away unexpectedly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, after a brief illness, on Sunday, 27 September 2026, following a two-week ocean cruise from Iceland to Montreal.

Janet Lee Mauk was born 3 December 1949, in Moses Lake, Washington state, daughter of James Beniel Mauk and Lida Pearl (Niederjohn) Mauk.

Her father Jim worked in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Jan lived in many places growing up, including a year in Japan. Later, the family returned to Lawton, Oklahoma, where she graduated from Lawton High School.

Always known as Jan, she was a 1978 graduate of the University of Houston, Houston, Texas, and she continued to follow her UH Cougars sports teams every year.

Jan qualified as a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT), worked in a couple of Sleep Disorders Centers in Texas, and came to California to open the new Sleep Disorders Center at the UCI Medical Center in Orange, California.

Then Frank and Jan were introduced by a mutual friend, and they married on 14 January 1983 at the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, recorded in Orange County, California.

She then earned a Nursing degree at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and, working as a Registered Nurse in various hospitals, she loved the medical science, pharmacology, and patient care aspects of her chosen profession.

Later, she developed her own event management business, running dog sports events for breed clubs, herding clubs, and other sponsors.

An intelligent, passionate, and caring lady, Jan loved all animals, especially our many dogs and one cat. She loved her two step-sons, David and Kevin, and she loved to travel, especially on ocean cruises. She enjoyed competing with her dogs in various sports events, and she also liked to read books, watch movies, and cook dinners at home.

Jan is survived by her husband Frank, together 45 years; her step-sons David (wife Tammy) McAninch, in Georgia, and Kevin (wife Celia) McAninch, in North Carolina, and their four children, Daniella, David, Emily, and Katherine.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah (also, Jan’s favorite song). After cremation, her ashes have been returned to her home in Huntington Beach, California.