Janice Marie was born on June 15, 1945, to Leonard and Loretta Stumvoll of Becker, Minnesota. Jan, the second of three sisters, was always the creative kid who loved flowers, bugs, anything colorful. Not surprisingly, after graduating from Becker High School, she majored in Art at St. Cloud University. There she met Robert L. Davis. The young couple married in 1965 and moved to Rochester, NY, where they welcomed daughter Anne.
Jan incorporated her love of art and design into a long career as a designer of office interiors. She finished out her career with a position at Brontman’s Corporate Dimensions where she worked full-time until she was 75 years of age.
In addition to a fulfilling career, Jan loved spending time with her family. Daughter Anne, son-in-law Rob, granddaughter Grete and grandson Graham were sources of continual joy and tremendous pride. Together they traveled and pursued adventures, exploring the museums of Manhattan, the mountains of New England and the Adirondacks, and the wine country throughout the Finger Lakes.
Jan was known for her self-reliance, independence, creativity, wry wit and hearty laugh. She maintained a garden beautiful in its unruliness and spent innumerable hours reading books on every subject borrowed from her favorite haunt, the Pittsford Public Library. A steadfast pet lover, she willingly adopted even the unfriendliest of cats with whom she enjoyed many a morning drinking coffee on her beloved porch.
Jan died peacefully on August 31, 2023, after a three-year battle with cancer. She is survived by daughter Dr. Anne Davis (Robert King) and grandchildren Grete and Graham of New York City, and sisters Marcia Haymond (Don Wong) of Bloomington, MN, and Gail Shurgot (Michael) of Seattle, WA. She is also missed by niece Mara Shurgot and nephew Nicholas Shurgot.
Our family is very grateful for the care Jan received at the University of Rochester Medical Center. We wish to thank the healthcare providers of The Wilmot Cancer Center, Palliative Care and Hospice teams.
Any remembrances that you wish to make can be made to the Hospice Care Program.
A celebration of Jan’s life will be held later in the year.
My sincere condolences to Jan’s family and friends. Jan was my favorite neighbor in Pittsford and she will be missed.
Dear Anne, Rob, Grete and Graham, I’m so sorry for your loss of your mom and grandma. Even though I never met her, I heard enough stories to realize where everyone’s stubbornness and humor originated!
Jan was the pied piper of Anne’s unruly group of friends. Delighting in our air guitar sessions or Devo debutante balls. She was the funniest woman I’d ever know with a cat smile on the end of a quip. She will forever be deeply cherished.
I had the privilege of knowing Jan in my youth (as one of the aforementioned unruly teens.) She and my mother shared a passion for NYT crosswords, and a love of art. Jan was a super mom and I am forever grateful to have spent time in her home and to have known her formidable spirit and great laugh. Sending my deepest condolences to Anne, Rob, Grete & Graham.