Lisa Marie Janz

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Lisa Marie (Scott) Janz of Germantown, Tennessee on August 13, 2016 after a courageous battle with endometrial cancer. She is survived by her husband of almost 34 years, Brian, who was the love of her life, always a supportive partner and never left her side, and her daughter and son-in-law, Brianna (Janz) Farhat and Abraham; and her sons Cameron and Addison, all of whom were the center of her universe.

Lisa was born in Beloit, Wisconsin on March 22, 1960 to Tom and Sonia (Meyers) Scott, and had a wonderful childhood with her brothers Bradly (Shannon) and Stephen, and sister Julie (Scott) Belden (Jim).

Lisa also loved visiting with her extended family, including her sister-in-law Barbara Schramm (Richard), her in-laws David and JoAnne Janz, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces that she loved dearly.

Although the depths of our grief is so very deep, we gain comfort in thinking about Lisa’s upbeat and optimistic outlook on life and the role model she was to so many. At a very early age Lisa learned the love of the outdoors, and Lisa, Brian, and the kids could often be found on some kind of adventure -- whether it be hiking in the woods, biking on the road, sailing, windsurfing, swimming, fishing, and wakeboarding on lakes, or scuba diving on ocean coral reefs.

Lisa loved to travel, whether it was as an exchange student to Turkey in 1977, visiting her own 2008 exchange student “son” Jakub Slavicek in the Czech Republic, hiking the cities and countryside of Germany, France, and Austria, or the jungles of Madagascar and Costa Rica.

After graduating from Beloit Turner High School in 1978 and earning a degree in computer science in 1982 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lisa enjoyed a rewarding career as a database administrator in the field of information technology at Sperry Univac, American Express, and FedEx, and took special joy in mentoring young women entering her chosen field of information technology.

People loved Lisa’s infectious smile and laugh which were the result of the great joy she derived from her “work family” at FedEx, her wonderful friends from the SWAK cooking and book club, and the “biker chicks” in the Memphis Hightailers Bike Club.

Finally, Lisa was grateful for the care she received from Dr. Linda Smiley and the staff at the West Clinic, as well as the wonderful nurses and staff at Methodist Healthcare’s Hospice team. Together, they helped to provide a high quality of life for Lisa and her family during her final adventure.

A celebration of Lisa’s life will be held on Friday, August 19th, at the Lichterman Nature Center located at 5992 Quince Road. Welcoming of family and friends will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Lisa was a strong believer in life-long learning, and wanted to know that young people would continue to get a good start on their careers in the field of information technology. In this spirit, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to The Brian and Lisa Janz Scholarship in Business Information and Technology at the University of Memphis Foundation, PO Box 1000, Dept. 238, Memphis, TN 38148. Alternatively, memorials can be donated online at: http://www.memphis.edu/JanzScholarship.