JANICE LEE JURIST's Obituary
Janice Lee Jurist, "Jannie" to her adored grandchildren, 86, of Coral Gables. Janice, the beloved daughter of Russell and Hazel Pate, was born into a pioneer family in Florida. Descended from pirates, Janice took her rightful place in many Gasparilla parades, proudly. She brought the family to life with wicked humor, quick wit, and refined taste, sharing all of these with her sister, Nancy Carlson. She attended and graduated from Hillsborough High School and was the December pin-up girl for the alumni calendar. After high school, Janice attended nurses training and practiced nursing in surgical and neonatal ICU. Janice was also a pioneer in the field of pharmaceutical sales, being one of the first women to work for Ross Laboratories. Her tenure at Ross yielded many sales awards, demonstrating her ability to convey technical knowledge while sharing her warm manner. Janice is survived by her children David (Katherine), Jonathan, (Maribel) and Melissa, who remember her "I should have been a nun!" exclamation during road trips, too-sophisticated-for-children meals, and boundless support in all endeavors. Her love for her grand and great-grand-children was infinite. Her grandchildren Kellye (Derek), Imogen, Virginia, Teddy, Theo, and Owen all shared in their "cool" grandmother's love of literature, art, and music. As she said to all her grandchildren's parents, "I will steal your children" and she did. Fanciful children's meals and tea parties, games and story-time drew them to her, irretrievably. She equally loved and adored her great-grand-children Ceinwen, Emmalyn, and Benaiah. One of her many notes was a list of books she wanted to share with them. Of her death, Janice said once, "If I die in a typical way, please tell everyone I was thrown into the air by a volcano." With this in mind, her grieving family laughs and can share that she met an untimely, dramatic, volcano-related death. "I care not if I live, but a day and a night, so long as my deeds live after me."
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