Janet Jackson Yocum

Born on August 19, 1936 in Covington, Virginia, Janet Yocum was the daughter of the late Charles Fletcher and Maude Smith Jackson.

When Janet was five, she moved with her family to the Portsmouth-Norfolk area where her father worked at the shipyard building aircraft carriers. After her mother died young at the age of 38, the family moved to Jacksonville, FL, where Janet finished high school and met the love of her life, John Yocum.

John and Janet moved to Gainesville, FL, where Janet worked as a legal secretary while John got his degree in mechanical engineering. John was inducted into the Navy and ordered to report to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, where he worked on nuclear-powered submarines. Traveling to places where submarines were researched, built and tested, Janet and John moved 23 times in their first ten years of marriage. It was during this time that they had three children: John Jr., Judy and Cathy.

John Sr.’s last job took them to West Palm Beach, FL. As her kids got older, Janet took a job working for a Palm Beach County brokerage firm where she obtained her broker and insurance licenses and began a career in financial consulting.

When Janet and John retired, they bought a house in Hawthorne, FL, near excellent bass fishing lakes and the University of Florida football, basketball and baseball games. Together, they spent the next couple of decades traveling throughout the U.S. following the UF Gator football teams to their out of state games, visiting National Parks and having a wonderful retirement life.

Janet was a gregarious extravert who loved people. She was always the life of the party and people were drawn to her fun, smart, witty, story-telling personality. Janet made friends quickly, had a playful sense of humor and made a point in including people in social events and making them feel special. She was a fabulous grandma to her six grandchildren, all of whom have fond memories of spending time and having adventures at the lake house in Hawthorne, FL.

In her final years, she moved to Rock Hill, South Carolina to be near her daughter Cathy. She lived at Westminster Towers and made many friends. She wrote for the residents’ newsletter, telling stories of the interesting lives of the people who lived there. She was an outstanding bridge player and an avid reader, and she used her talents to help manage the facility’s library.

She will be missed by her three children: John (Jaynee) Yocum, Judy Tarr, Cathy (Curt) Chambers; six grandchildren: Tina (Dustin Olinoski) Yocum, Aimee (Nick) Womble, Matt (Metanee) Tarr, Molly (Oscar Gonzales) Tarr, Corey Chambers and Riley Chambers; three great grandchildren: William Womble, Orion Olinoski and Landon Tarr; and many more loving family and friends.

Janet will be buried alongside her husband, John, in the Hawthorne Cemetery in Alachua County, Florida. Per her wishes, a private family gathering will take place at the gravesite with a celebration of life at a later time. Details will be forthcoming. Please check back for updated information.

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