Some people leave us early, others after a long, full life.
At the age of 83, Janice Kay Carruthers (nee Dunn) peacefully passed away February 7, 2023 following complications from a fall in early December 2022. Despite valiant efforts at rehabilitation following hip surgery, her path led her home to eternal rest where she joins her son, Brian, who passed away in 2021 and her beloved husband, Don, lost to cancer in 2001. Now, she is reunited with them again, forever.
Born in 1939 in San Bernardino, Janice was the first college graduate in her family. At a time when most career options for women were limited to secretary, nurse or teacher, Janice became a primary grade teacher for nearly 30 years, mostly out at Piru School where she taught grades two through six. Known as a tough but fair teacher dedicated to creating learning experiences, she fostered the nickname ‘La Bruha’ (The Witch) – largely due to her car’s license plate frame that read: “My other car is a broomstick.â€
As well as being a devoted wife and mother, Janice felt a family wasn’t complete without its four-legged members. Over the decades, she made sure the family had a menagerie of pets – mostly cats and dogs. She was particularly brilliant at naming them, believing their names should speak to their character and NOT be of human origin. So, there was a cat named ‘Tuffer’ who ended up being the neighborhood badass; a mixed mutt named ‘Bushes’ who was found abandoned as a puppy in the bushes of the riverbed; a Dachshund name ‘Schnitzie’ relating to the breed’s German origin; a gray tabby cat named ‘Pewter’ and a dog named ‘Ticky’ because her tongue ticked when she panted. Many pawprints graced both home and hearts because of Janice’s love of pets.
Janice is survived by her daughter, Carrie Carruthers and sister, Judy Gregg.
Funeral Services: Perez Family Mortuary | 600 Central Ave | Fillmore, CA 93015 on March 3, 11:00AM Pacific.