Janet Rhodes Lathan

Janet Rhodes Lathan was born July 19, 1942 in NYC, NY and died of COVID complications on March 10, 2021 at the age of 78. Janet loved her family first and foremost but also science fiction, tie-dye, swimming, robots, and cats!

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, James (Jim) Franklin Lathan; her brother, John Rhodes (Shonan Noronha); her sisters Anita Herron and Michelle Rhodes; her four children - Dr. Corinna Lathan (David Kubalak), Catherine Fox-Hoffmaster (Anthony Hoffmaster), Kenneth Lathan (Jennifer Lathan), and Allyssa Lathan; and her six grandchildren - Lindsey and Eliza Lathan-Kubalak, John, Matthew, and Faith Fox, and Alexander Lathan.

Janet Lathan was a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) pioneer with degrees in chemistry, mathematics, and computer science. She was a life-long educator whether through developing and selling math curriculum with Jim through their business Alpha+; teaching technical skills to bridge the digital divide through her role as Executive Director of ByteBack - a not-for-profit in Washington DC; or in her most recent role before she retired in 2017 as the Department Chair of Computer Science and Robotics Coach at Archbishop Carroll High School.

As converts to Catholicism in the early 1970's after the spiritual renewal of Vatican II, she and Jim embodied the vision of the modern church. They reached out to and were accepting of people of any faith, background, sexual orientation, and gender identity. They truly believed in loving all people. For over 40 years, Janet and Jim have been part of the Catholic Engaged Encounter Community sharing their experiences for those preparing for a marriage in the Catholic church. In recent years they were members of the Catholic Neocatechumenal Way, whose members, in the words of Pope Francis, are encouraged to live "a life that attracts" and to emphasize that “in [God's] heart there is room for every people. Nobody is excluded.”

In 2018, Janet, a lifetime non-smoker, was diagnosed with Stage 4 ROS1+ lung cancer. ROS1 is a rare genetic rearrangement comprising only 1-2% of all lung cancers. She responded well to a new targeted therapy drug, crizotinib (approved 2016), and lived an active life until her recent death. Janet was a patient and research lung cancer advocate and was a respected contributor to several cancer community support groups including the "ROS1ders" who use their expertise and passion to help other ROS1+ patients and families, and to accelerate research into the aggressive disease.

The family is planning a Zoom Celebration of Life in April and will update this site when details are available. Please feel free to leave a story or memory below.

In lieu of flowers please donate to ROS1 Cancer Research at www.theROS1ders.org or to a charity of your choice.

To access Jim's Online Memorial, please click the link:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/silver-spring-md/james-lathan-10257121