Obituaries

On April 28th Janis L Smith passed away peacefully at the age of 72 in her daughter's Kentucky home, surrounded by her loved ones. She did not lose her battle with cancer. Jesus won the war when he took her home.

Whether you've known her as Jan, Aunt, Auntie, Sis, Gram, GG, Grandma Iyah or Mom, Janis would welcome you with open arms. Her love knew no bounds, when she loved, she loved unconditionally. Feeling as though she was the black sheep, she would take in all outsiders and make them feel as part of the family. Many people considered Jan their surrogate mother.

She is greatly missed by her daughter & son in law Melissa & John Radford, her daughter and son in law Crystal & Greg Martinez, & her son & daughter in law Jeff & Victoria Smith. She will be forever in the hearts of her Grandchildren Patrisha (Pattyrisha)& Dontae Jackson, Dion (Boogey) & Amanda Piceno Jr. Anthony & Iveeth Martinez, Camille Martinez, Nicole Martinez, & Daniel (Danny)Piceno. She will forever have touched the lives of her Great-Grandchildren, Bianca, Ian, Malachi, Elias, & Matthew. She will be greatly missed by her siblings Jeannette Rapp, June Peters, Joyce & Win Kinnaman and countless nieces and nephews.

Jan cared deeply for her family and friends. She is famously known for her Zuchinni Bread, Macaroni Salad, and her dark humor. She loved Arts & Crafts, camping, fishing, and family outings. Jan was born in Lima Ohio and enjoyed traveling throughout her lifetime making homes and friends in California, Texas, Ohio and Kentucky.

She is predeceased by the Love of her Life, Husband of 42 years, John Smith, her father Elza (Curly) Linton, her mother Leola Williams, stepson Johnny Smith, sister Jackie Craft, and nephew Douglas Linton. After losing her husband in 2011, Janis showed us what true strength is.

She had a special place in all our lives and will continue to dwell in all of our hearts.

Surrounded by loved ones, Janis left us on April 28th. She left us how she wanted, laughing. So be like Janis, love hard, support your loved ones, and no matter how dark or scary life is, laugh.

A celebration of Life will held at The Stables Entwined Event Venue 2777 California Crossroads California, KY 41007 May 16, 2024 @ 5:00 PM, potluck to immediately follow.