Janice Elaine Thornton

Janice Elaine Thornton, aka “Gigi”, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in the early morning of Sunday November 5th. She spent her last days surrounded by her family.

Jan was born on October 10, 1941 in Akron, Ohio to William and Marie Mattingly (Combs) and was a 1959 graduate of  Akron Kenmore High School.  She and her husband moved from Akron to Grand Blanc, Michigan, then to Kendall, Florida, where she worked at the Miami Dade Kendall campus library. They moved back to Ohio, residing in Oakwood, in the Dayton area, from 1978-2019. She was employed as the administrative assistant to the Director of University of Dayton law library for nearly a decade.

Jan is survived by her sister Paula and husband Rick Neale of Canal Fulton, Ohio; her 3 children: Matthew C. Thornton, Miriam C. Thornton and Maria E. Thornton Parker, son-in-law Jack Parker, 4 grandchildren: Maiya Thornton Hodge, Connor Thornton, Kataryn Ortiz Thornton and Jerico Ortiz Thornton, and great granddaughter Xyila. She is preceded in passing by her parents Marie Baranchik (Combs), step father Paul Baranchik, sister Linda Cross, and husband Carl L Thornton.

Jan was a faithful believer. She loved family, baseball, music, cooking, gardening, music and art. She was very intelligent and could usually answer the final Jeopardy question, even up to her last day on earth.  A small ceremony and celebration of her life will take place at the Woodland Cemetery Mausoleum on Friday November 24th at 2pm.