Janet Marie Self

Janet is survived by her daughter, Susan Self Goldsmith and her husband, Grant Goldsmith of Charleston, SC and Susan's children, Derek (and Maddy Schreiber) and Daniel Alexander of Raleigh, NC; her son, Jason Self and his wife Kim Self, of Austin, TX and their children, Kaida, Jordan, and Jaron Self; daughter, Kristy Self Reynolds and her husband, Ben Reynolds of Fairfax, VA and their children Peyton, Will, Hadley, and Harper Reynolds; her sisters Ramona Faught (Allen) of Deer Park, Donna Fortner of Pasadena, and Vonna Fortner of California, her nieces and nephews, La Tonya Stone (Mike), Keith Faught (Stacy), Lisa Winder and Scott Winder, as well as her beloved cousins Jacque Lytle (Dick) of Dallas, TX and Rita Keener (Terry) of Mena, AR, and many other beloved cousins and extended family members. She is predeceased by her parents Otis and Marie Harris Fortner of Hatfield, AR and later of Deer Park, TX as well as her eldest sister, Mary Juanita Fortner Winder “Nita” of Washington State.

Janet was born on May 30, 1940, in Mena, AR. She grew up in Hatfield, AR and graduated high school in 1958 from a one-room school. She received her BS of Education from Southern Arkansas University, formerly known as Southern State College in Magnolia, AR. After graduation, she and then husband Stewart Self, moved to Houston, TX. She received her Master of Science at the University of Houston. She taught at Galena Park for 7 years and then spent the remainder of her teaching career in Deer Park. She retired in 2007, after teaching for nearly 40 years.

She epitomized true grit and determination, constantly setting new goals for herself, no matter what obstacles life threw at her. She was a hard-working, single mom of 3 children, who always strove to improve her life, as well as those around her. She never met a challenge that she couldn’t master with a little determination, ingenuity, and usually a bit of humor.

Her hobbies were teaching math and science, gardening, spending time with friends, and being with grandkids. She loved staying in touch with former students and their families, as well as fellow teachers and colleagues. Teaching was a true gift for her and the thing she was most passionate about- (besides being our mom). She worked so hard for her students and earned many awards and grants because of it. She was dedicated to her school, Deer Park Elementary. The DPE Science Lab was named in her honor. The Mayor of Deer Park also recognized her birthday as ‘Janet Self Day’, thanks to a proclamation made by a former student and the student’s family.

Janet was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease over 22 years ago and this certainly changed the trajectory or her life. She loved living in Deer Park, with her Juanita Ln and Denali neighbors. However, the challenges of living alone with PD became increasingly difficult, so in 2020 she moved to Virginia to be with her daughter and family. Even though her life started in Arkansas and ended in Virginia, Deer Park, Tx was her true home.

She was a passionate educator. She said it best in her retirement notification, “I have to admit, that I enjoyed grading papers late at night, working on lesson plans on the weekends, and feeling obligated to do the best job I could for our future citizens and leaders. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than savoring the eternal imprint that we make on the minds and thoughts of our children.”

Thank you, Mom. We love you and miss you and are better because of you.

Funeral Service to be on December 3rd, 2022, 11am at Grandview Funeral Home and Memorial Park 8501 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505. Please join us for a reception immediately following, at the same location.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests either to honor her through a donation to Deer Park Education Foundation, www.helpdpkids.org/ or to Trees For a Change, www.treesforachange.com/ to plant a tree in her honor.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.grandviewfunerals.com for the Self family.