She was born on April 30, 1958, to her parents, Glenn and Georgia Claxton in Oklahoma City.
Upon the death of Georgia when Jan was only 11, Joyce Smith of Slaughterville, OK stepped into the role of friend, teacher, and surrogate mother.
Jan married Edwin Hatch in 1981 at the Southern Oaks Assembly of God church.
Jan graduated from Norman High School and was awarded a Bachelor’s of Arts in Latin from the University of Oklahoma. While employed by the Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation, Jan returned to college to earn a Master’s of Science from Langston University in Rehabilitation Counseling.
At the time of her passing, Jan was employed as a Program Manager with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitative Services.
Jan channeled her competitive nature into years of softball leagues, playing for her church team into her forties. (Breaking her nose with a line drive contributed to her retirement.) She found great fulfillment competing in both cooking and sewing categories at the State Fair of Oklahoma. Jan has been awarded Pie Champion which meant entering 16 different pies, Cake Champion which meant entering 7 cakes and the title of State Spam Queen which she won several times (for which she was teased by her cousins.)
In recent years, Jan was very active in a community of quilters, and taught classes in quilting at Moore Norman Technology Center. We are fortunate to have dozens of her quilts to keep us warm.
Jan is survived by her husband, Ed, her birth mother Frances Edwards, siblings Bob Barnett, Mindy Morton, and Cindy Burke. Also, her parents-in-law Frank and Jessie Hatch, sister and brothers-in-law Millie and Skip Heflin, and Jimmie Don Hatch as well as many cousins, nieces, and nephews, as well as her two Labradors.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 11 at 2:00 pm at Calvary Church, 3730 North Porter, Norman, 73071.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Second Chance Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit no-kill shelter located in Norman. www.secondchancenorman.com
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