Janet Murray's Obituary
Janet was the eldest child in her family. She had a younger brother and sister and the three of them were raised in San Carlos. Her father was a high school English teacher while her mother worked at the Emporium. One of the young family’s favorite regular trips was to Yosemite to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Janet often spent her summers being studious by reading books under her father’s direction. During her teenage years, her father wanted her to wear heels to class, but since she was already a tall girl, she didn’t want to. Janet told the story of often hiding flats in the bushes outside her house so she wouldn’t have to hover over her classmates.Janet’s first job after high school was at the local telephone company as a telephone operator. She worked there until she met her first husband. The young couple were married and soon after had three children. Together, they owned a few properties and rented out rooms to various people. During this time, Janet enjoyed being the landlady and meeting so many different kinds of people. Unfortunately, the marriage ended and Janet found herself the single mother of three children. Times were tough, but she always managed to make sure her children were taken care of.Janet’s brother had enlisted in the Army and began his tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967. It was everyone’s understanding that he passed away while trying to protect his fellow soldiers. His passing was such a great loss to the family. About two months later, Janet’s mother passed away. And eight months after that, her grandmother passed away. This was such a difficult time for Janet.It was also about this time that Janet rekindled a friendship with one of her male friends. They became close again and actually decided to marry. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t work out, but the two of them remained life-long friends. Janet then decided to work hard at her position as a plastic injection molder and focus on her children. Many years later Janet discovered that she was pregnant with her fourth child.Once the little girl was born, Janet wanted to spend more time at home with her children and decided to babysit for a living. During this time, there were many family friends that were made. The neighbors across the street and children that Janet babysat became very close with the family. Janet was always helping everyone and became a second Mom to many. And that also included becoming a grandmother as her eldest daughter became pregnant with her first little girl .Unfortunately, Janet’s father passed away in 1986. This was another great loss for her. Times were changing and then she received news that she was going to be a grandmother again to two more girls. The family moved many times and finally settled back near close friends and family in the Bay Area. Once her children were grown, Janet was able to enjoy her hobbies of gardening (Iris), cooking, and reading books and magazines. She also loved her soap operas, especially One Life To Live, General Hospital, and Young and the Restless.Janet will forever be remembered for her love of kitties, squirrels, raccoons, birds, the color purple, and Christmas. She loved the holidays…decorating, cooking, gifting, and spending time with her loved ones. She loved bread pudding, tapioca, vanilla pudding, yogurt, and her roast beef dinner from Harry’s Hofbrau. She loved having her daily coffee and during special occasions, she would add either Bailey’s Irish Cream or Kahlua to her daily drink. She wouldn’t be seen without her make-up and ratted hair. She loved rings, necklaces, and wearing scarfs. She was kind to everyone and all the little things made her happy. Some of her favorite sayings were “Far out,” “Groovy,” “Ahh, yes,” and “Hasta la vista, baby.”On October 25, 2013, Janet joined her family (and kitties) in Heaven. She will be missed terribly, but will we all meet once again. “Hasta la vista!”Services in Janet’s honor will be held at Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park in San Mateo, CA.
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