Janiell Lynn Jernigan

Janiell Lynn Jernigan was born February 22, 1963 in Honolulu, Hawaii and passed away at her home in Rockwall, Texas on March 12, 2020. She was the daughter of Jerry Lee Folsom and Jacqueline Lucille Phillips.

Growing up in Hawaii, Janiell had many fond childhood memories of fun on the beach until she was 13 years old when her dad retired from the Navy and the family moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico. Janiell attended Alamogordo High School for three years and then the family moved to Glendale, Arizona where she graduated from Glendale High School. Janiell was a member of Who’s Who in America her senior year of school. She attended Arizona State University then moved to Long Beach, California and attended the University of Long Beach. In 1987, Janiell moved to Norman, Oklahoma where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Oklahoma University. During her senior year at OU, Janiell visited Lawton, Oklahoma to see her parents and assist with the wedding rehearsal of a family friend. At the wedding rehearsal, she met Bob Jernigan whom she would marry after graduating from OU. While attending OU, Janiell became a fanatic for the Oklahoma Sooners and in the past 31 years rarely missed an OU football game, even if she had to record it and watch it later. She would even watch the live game then watch the recording to assess what they needed to do to improve. Janiell was an avid football fan and, in her mind, a coach. She would get so intense when watching football that she would have to watch in a closed room to keep from scaring the family pets. When eating out, if there was a football game on any monitor, she would have to sit so she could see the game and would strike up a conversation about the game and whatever team was playing with anyone who would listen. She knew more about football teams and stats than any one person should know. Bob and their children knew that between September and February she would be found watching football, any game, and was to be left uninterrupted.

After their marriage, Janiell and Bob made their home in Lawton, Oklahoma, where Janiell worked at Southwestern Medical Center. In 1991, Janiell and Bob were blessed with their first child, Lauren Elizabeth Jernigan. Early in 1992, the family moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma where Janiell worked at Muskogee General Hospital and also began teaching nursing at Bacone College. In 1994, Janiell had the opportunity to continue her education and follow her dream of becoming a Nurse Practitioner. The family moved to Dallas, Texas, where she began attending Texas Woman’s University and completed her Master’s degree in nursing to become a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP). While attending school, Janiell worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Doctor’s Hospital in Dallas. After obtaining her CNP degree, Janiell began teaching future CNP students at Texas Woman’s University. In 1997, Janiell, Bob, and Lauren moved to Rockwall, Texas where they have remained. After the move to Rockwall, Janiell began working as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Royse City Medical Practice until obtaining additional credentials in the psychiatric area of medicine and made the decision to become part of Psychiatric Services in Greenville, Texas.

In 2001, the Jernigan family made the decision to become Foster Parents in the Rockwall County area. During 2001 - 2004, they fostered thirteen different children ranging in age from three weeks to 13 years old. During 2001, the family was again blessed by the arrival of Ethan William Lee Jernigan. From 2005 – 2009, Janiell participated in community outreach programs through the National Charity League and contributed hundreds of hours of service work with organizations, such as the Special Olympics and various Children’s Charities. During the same period she became a marathon enthusiast running in many marathons until her health would not allow it any longer. Anytime Janiell wasn’t watching football, she was watching her children’s after-school activities, or shopping or she could be found with a book in her hand.

Janiell was eagerly awaiting the birth of her first grandson. She was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Lee Folsom. She is survived by her husband of 29 years, Bob Jernigan; daughter, Lauren Jernigan; son, Ethan (Emily Gil) Jernigan; mother, Jacqueline (Joe) Talley; brother, John (Ailey) Folsom; multiple nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.