JANET RENO's Obituary
Janet Reno, 78, of Miami-Dade, passed away on November 7, 2016, peacefully at home surrounded by people she loved.
She was the oldest of four children. To their grandparents they were: Janny Baby, Bobby Boy, Maggy Mine and Marky Feller - the children of Henry Reno and Jane Wood Reno. They grew up in the house their mother built in pine- palmetto and cow pasture near the end of the road on North Kendall Drive. There were horses and cows and chickens and ducks and pigs and goats and raccoons and alligators and peacocks. Janet milked the cow when her father had to work late.
She was both earnest and brilliant in school from Sunset Elementary School through Gables High, Cornell, and Harvard Law. In 1956 she was the Florida Extemporaneous Speaking Champion. She didn't really break barriers. She just didn't notice they were there. The New York Times and the Miami Herald obituaries have her long list of achievements from Dade County State’s Attorney to the first woman Attorney General of the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/us/janet-reno-dead.html?_r=0
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article113009183.html
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article113053108.html
She was honest, stubborn, smart, kind, and patient with all, but dryly dismissive of foolishness and personal attacks. She believed with Mathew 25:40 that "Inasmuch as ye have done unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye hast done unto me."
Most people knew her as a tough prosecutor with a tremendous sense of responsibility and kindness. Those who did not know her well, might not know that she was a happy adventurer who paddled Class III whitewater rapids and more than a dozen Florida Rivers, got lost on the Wacissa, camped out from the Everglades to the Suwanee, explored endless dirt roads and blue springs, and loved nothing better than being outside in the wild Florida she loved and the wild Potomac River she came to love.
She believed in justice for all and the words etched on the corner of the Justice Building in Washington "Liberty is maintained in defense of Justice." Most of all, she believed in children. The Janet Reno Endowment was recently established at Georgetown University to inspire young lawyers to a career in public service on behalf of children. You can find the Janet Reno Endowment at:
http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/janet-reno-endowment/
and see a video of Janet talking about the things she felt the country and the justice system should do for our children. In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions to the Endowment.
Her love of children was not just about trying to make the world a better place for them. It was about story telling around the campfire and teaching them to ride a pony while she ran along beside them and taking them sailing and diving and camping and bouncing on the trampoline with them. For someone without children, she rocked a whole lot of babies to sleep on her front porch.
She is survived by her sister, Maggy Hurchalla, and husband Jim and Mark's wife Ann McDade; seven nieces and nephews - Jim Hurchalla and wife Gretchen, Bob Hurchalla, Jane Hurchalla and husband Ed Pettersen, George Hurchalla, Hunter Reno Rabbino, Douglas Reno and wife Sarah Beth, Michelle Quirk and husband Patrick, and Janet Meliha Reno; lots of great nieces and nephews – Kymberly Hurchalla, James Hurchalla, Ella Rabbino, Chloe Rabbino, August Reno, Norah Jeanne Reno, John Henry Reno, and Piper Quirk; and Daphne and Danny Webb who she took in when their parents died.
A memorial service will be held at the Kendall Campus of Miami-Dade College Gymnasium on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 11:00 am.
Janet Reno Endowment
Georgetown University
Gift Processing
Department 0734
Washington, DC 20073-0734
(800) 484-2791
www.cjjr.georgetown.edu/janet-reno-endowment
We Remember Them, A Prayer, by Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer
At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them.
For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, We remember them.
What’s your fondest memory of JANET?
What’s a lesson you learned from JANET?
Share a story where JANET's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with JANET you’ll never forget.
How did JANET make you smile?
