Janet Knox Johnson

During her childhood, Janet lived in several cities, including Minneapolis – where she learned to toboggan and ice skate – followed by Missouri, Des Moines, Iowa, and Nashville, Tennessee. Eventually, her family, including her younger brother Bud, settled in College Park, Georgia, where her father worked for Shell Oil Company. She often recalled her childhood as “idyllic”. Some of her fondest memories were Sundays spent after church, when her father played with her and Bud while her mother prepared Sunday dinner. She often said of her family “everyone liked each other and enjoyed being together”.

Janet graduated from high school at the age of 16 and went to work for Retail Credit Company, a job she truly loved. Around that time, she won her future wedding dress in a raffle. She took her first international trip to Cuba with a close friend and delighted in recalling the many trunks of dresses packed for the island’s vibrant nightlife. Janet also traveled extensively throughout the United States, spending summers visiting New York, Miami and enjoying weekends in Savannah, Georgia.

At the age of 23, Janet met Hugh V. Johnson, Jr. while attending a funeral. The two married shortly thereafter and made their home in Birmingham, Alabama where they welcomed their first four children Mark, Annette, Karen, and Lisa. The family later moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, but after four months decided it was not the place to raise children. They eventually settled in Jacksonville, Florida where Hugh had grown up.

In Jacksonville, Janet thrived as a devoted mother and active volunteer at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and Elementary School in Mandarin. She assisted children with reading, cursive writing, chaperoned countless field trips, and worked at the annual church bazaars. In 1974 , the family was completed with the birth of their youngest daughter, Katy.

Later in life, Janet became a parishioner at Assumption Parish, where she was a regular at Friday Adoration alongside her dear neighbor Them. She hosted a Sunday rosary group in her home and volunteered at a shelter for abused women. She was preceded by the loss of Hugh, her beloved husband, in 2011 after 56 years of marriage.

Janet was known for her warm and welcoming manner to everyone she met. Her home was always open and this demonstrated her love for others. Faith, family and friendships were always her passions.

Following Hurricane Irma, which flooded her home, Janet moved to Regal Palms assisted living in Largo, Florida, where her daughter Annette and family resided. There she was surrounded by loved ones including her grandchildren Rick, Linzy and Taylor, and her great grandchildren Yianni, Kosta and Vasili.

Janet embraced her new home and quickly formed many cherished friendships, truly enjoying her time at Regal Palms.

Janet passed away peacefully at home on January 6th. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, her only son and her husband.

She is survived by her four daughters – Annette, Karen (husband Kip), Lisa and Katy, her “bonus daughter”, Kathleen, her grandson Rick, her granddaughters Linzy (husband Michael), Taylor, Allison and Mallory, her three great grandchildren, her niece Susan Knox Flake and her nephew Scott Knox.

A funeral Mass will be held at San Jose Catholic Church in Jacksonville, FL on Feb. 5, 2026 at 11:00am. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery.

“Your voice may be gone, but your presence remains.”