Janice Marie Sexton

September 27th, 1940 – June 24th, 2025

84 years, 8 months, 27 days

30,951 days

This beautiful woman was born on a Friday in Gulfport Mississippi. Not one storm cloud on the horizon. Just Beauty. The first of five children to parents, Peter Batese Narciese and mother, Cecill Weeks. She was raised by her Grannie Mamie McElhaney.

Janice was born with a fire in her belly.

A baton twirling majorette known for her sweet smile and dazzling figure eight physique, Janice was smart, classy, and sassy. Valedictorian of the 1958 Thirty-Third Avenue High School's graduating class, she received a scholarship based on merit to Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She was the first in her family to attend college and achieve a Bachelor of Art degree.

Janice was ready to make her mark. She was ready to trailblaze.

Ambitious and fearless, Janice picked up everything she had and left everyone she knew after graduating from college and moved to Houston, Texas. For the first time in her life she was on her own and eager to start her first adventure.

She worked at Tenneco in the secretarial pool in the 60’s. She was making it, 9 to 5, on her own. Eventually, she met a man, a widowed man, Wendell P. Sexton, with a son, Wendell P. Sexton II, known to all as Phil, and decided to marry him on February 25, 1968. She followed him to Denver, Colorado and together, this family of three soon became four when her daughter, Janell was born in late October of 1970.

Janice then returned to Houston in 1971 with her new family to lay the foundation of her legacy. She chose to be a teacher and taught twenty years or so for the Houston Independent School District (HISD). First, she taught typing, but that wasn’t nearly enough for her. She set to developing her talents and education, honing them, until she found a niche profession. She taught office duplication to middle school teens with learning challenges. She loved it. Proud of the work she did, and the things she made; notepads, bound books, programs, calendars and many others all from a simple machine using paper and colored ink. All with her touch and care. She designed them personally. It was art to her and to others. These were handmade goods done for work as a teacher and as a service for the many organizations she was a part of. But truly, these items were gifts, her gifts given to friends and family, as an extension of her heart.

However, this technical art form gave way to the dinosaurs, replaced by the future. Computers. So Janice pivoted, always up for the challenge. Once again, she educated herself, got new certifications, learned a daunting new skill and by the late 80’s, Janice was teaching high school students the basics in computer science. She was proud of that too because it wasn’t easy. When she finally retired from James Madison High School in 2003, Janice knew she had made her mark.

A social darling she was.

She was a member of Top Ladies of Distinction Inc, active in her church, Brentwood Baptist, and a host of organizations, BUT her love, first and foremost, was Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated. As a lifetime member, Janice held many leadership positions on the local, regional and national levels. The Blue & Gold was her way to go, and she told everybody she could, every chance she got.

Janice was fearless.

Her next adventure began fall of 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. She had to pivot one more time. Leaving Houston, good friends and a woman she considered her second daughter, Ms. Faye Stevenson, to a new state was hard, but she persevered. Ever resilient, she found new friends and forged new bonds that would last her lifetime. She also gained another new daughter in Atlanta, Ms. Paulette Ferguson-Brown.

On June 24th, 2025, Janice packed her bags for her final adventure. Her children were there, but she was surrounded by the many friends that were also her family at Hammond Glen Retirement Community. She was loved there. Her story lives on there.

It was a clear, beautiful day. A Tuesday. Not one storm cloud on the horizon. Just Beauty. Somewhere around seven in the morning.

Janice Marie Sexton is survived by her daughter & son-in-law, Rich, her son & family, her sister, Francine, nephew, Fred and her three grandchildren, Phoenix, Amanda & Ricky as well as her newfound children, the staff at Hammond Glen.

Love you Mom….

Janell