Janette Range Hovan

Janette Elizabeth was a dynamic, fun loving, pistol of a mother who would pour love and kindness (with a side of the best pound cake on the planet) out onto you at a moment’s notice, whether you wanted it or not. She was a feisty little gal who would advocate in front of the local school board to fight for your high school to get a fair shake; a chef beyond the finest on The Food Network; and a seamstress that would mend all wounds, even those to your clothes.

She was a faithful member of the Faith Fellowship church for close to 40 years and she considers those members therein to be a real and living extension of her own immediate family.

She would play the banjo for you, give you a certificate for a free item from her home bakery, and hit the bull’s eye the first time at the Boy Scout camp out. She would then remind you that she hit that bull’s eye every time the topic of target practice came up.

She won the grand prize in many a contest in her day. She loved Coca-Cola and took her iced tea as half sweet, half unsweet.

She was one of 12 that rose from a hardscrabble upbringing in Jacksonville, FL to be the best at everything that devoted daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers do. That upbringing is, no doubt, what caused her heart to swell far beyond that of your average human, and in a moment’s need she would sprint, not walk or run, to your side.

She would visit the sick in their affliction whether in hospitals, health care centers or their homes. She would sit with countless invalids and run myriad errands for those in need. She knew medical terminology and would assist with home medical care for those who were suffering.

She was an apprentice mechanic, a journeyman gardener and a master of believing in you.

She forever championed and sought the best for her four boys, cherished her granddaughters, and was a rock for her husband. She was fiercely loyal to her siblings and somehow divided her phone and in-person time between all 11 of her sisters and brothers. She relentlessly remembered birthdays and dates and anniversaries, and never neglected her nieces and nephews, however far flung they may be.

Many years ago, after she “cracked the whip” on her dear nephew in loving fashion (and most likely with a smile), he summed her up in five words by saying, "She's tough, but she's fair." And this is only part of the legacy of Janette Range Hovan.

At her eldest sister's passing several years ago, and while considering the challenges faced in their family during their formative years her husband remarked, “Sometimes people start out in life by stepping up to the plate and they’re already two strikes down.”

Well, Janette Elizabeth only needed one pitch, and she hit a grand slam.

We don’t know how you did it, but thank you, Janette.

We love you to the moon and back and back again.

She is survived by her loving husband, Terrell Victor; sons, Jeremy Andrew, Michael Gordon, Benjamin Victor and Timothy David; sisters, Jo, Mary, Margie, Marilyn, Helen, Julie; and brothers, Donn, Bill, Tom.

She is preceded in death by her sisters Evelyn Jane and Donna Jean.

Her celebration of life service will be held Saturday, January 10th, 2015 at one o'clock in the afternoon at East Hill Baptist Church (912 Miccosukee Rd, Tallahassee, Florida 32308) with a reception to follow. Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements (850-877-8191).