Jan and I were friends at a very young age, around 5 or possibly younger. Jan had the most fun doll house in her front yard and it was our play house. We had a blast as we both were quite mischievous! We would crack and break sticks and imagine we were doctors! This was fun for us as little children but as some of you may have noticed we never made it into medical school!
I am sharing a fun pic of the two of us in the first grade with Cousin Tuney and our friends. Cousin Tuney was the local TV Star who hosted TV birthday parties for all of the lucky kids growing up in Jackson, Tennessee. As you see Jan is full of personality in this picture and I was told this picture even made it to New York to a network there.
There was a period when I moved back to our hometown and I believe Jan was living on the west coast. So the next period in our lives together that I remember the most was in the 80’s when Jan, her daughter, Kindra and I rode around Memphis in Jan’s Volvo. Mostly Jan was running errands and Kindra and I were the passengers. The dialogue was always entertaining and exhilarating. In fact, there was almost no topic that the 3 of us couldn’t discuss. The openness that Jan had with Kindra and me was the most substantive, and healthiest I’ve had with anyone.
The next fun period together was after I moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1996. Jan visited me several times around the year 2000 and later. In fact, Jan and I celebrated the turn of the century together on Ocean Drive in South Beach amongst thousands of the night time party crowds, fireworks, screaming, yelling and excitement .
Her interests were always shopping at the Bal Harbor shops and in particular the fabulous bookstore there. She would buy dozens of books and have them shipped to her home in Memphis. I remember also her joy in purchasing beautiful towel sets from Bloomingdales at the Aventura Mall for Kindra that were shipped directly to Kindra on the west coast. In addition to shopping, Jan loved the great restaurants in the Miami area and we tried so many together. In fact, there are 2 pics that I had a waiter take with her and our friend, Topley Edenton at Michael’s in the Miami Design District. As I write this I’m hoping the pics make it on Jan’s legacy website.
But there were more visits when just Jan and I were together. What I remember the most was that Jan emptied her luggage onto my dining room table. She really had no choice as the guest bed was located in a little cubicle connected to the dining room. We were so happy to see each other that the location of the bed and the dining table covered with her belongings never seemed to phase us. This added a casualness to the room as was Jan’s surroundings in her home. I loved her demeanor of never caring to impress others. She knew herself and was not about to put on airs in the presence of others.
So finally Jan, my beloved and loyal friend, I love you and RIP until we meet again.
Sissy
