Janice Karlak

Janice was born in Toledo, Ohio on January 19, 1937. At an early age, she had artistic talent and creativity that would last her lifetime. Janice graduated from DeVillbis High School in 1954 and went on to attend the University of Toledo. With the birth of her first daughter whose father was David Putnam Wyland, Janice moved to Cleveland Ohio, where she met and married James Karlak in 1959. They had four more children.

Throughout her life, Jan was a vocal supporter of Civil Rights. In Cleveland, she worked to elect Carl Stokes, the first African American mayor of a major city. She also supported ending the Vietnam conflict by attending local and national anti-war rallies, often taking her five children with her to instill in them a sense of justice and equality.

For most of her career, Jan worked for local and state government agencies including the Cleveland Department of Taxation, the Franklin County Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Understanding that the only way to advance her career would be to finish her education, at the age of 48, Jan left her job to return to college. She became a full-time student, living on campus in a tiny apartment and working minimum wage jobs until receiving a BA in History from The Ohio State University. She was then accepted into the London School of Economics in England where she completed her Masters in History and Government at the age of 52. Jan then returned to the PUCO, where she retired at a senior level after thirty-five years of public service.

Jan loved discussing politics and was a life long member of the Democratic Party. She was an active member of the Unitarian Universalist church. She loved reading, especially history, biographies, and mysteries where she often read the end of the book first to find out "who dunnit." Her heart was drawn to English gardens and she did her best to replicate them everywhere she lived. Besides being an artist, Jan also loved to sew and knit. She was generous, never overlooking meaningful charities. Jan's kindness extended to rescuing animals. She loved her dogs and cats, especially Little Guy, Orange Boy, and KittenGo.

In the past three years of her life, Jan was meticulously cared for by her youngest son at home. Janice is survived by her five children: Melissa O'Grady, Jamie, Elena, David M. (Zhihua Duan), and Erika; three grandchildren: David J., Melissa Rea Karlak (Brad Rea), and Joe; her sister Mariana Mace (Peter Burke); and her former husband James. She is preceded in death by her father Harold A. Stroup and her mother Frances Lehmann Stroup.

Visitation and memorial service will be held Saturday, October 20 at 2:00 to 3:30 pm at Schoedinger East Funeral Home, 5360 East Livingston Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43232. Flowers accepted.