Janette Teresa Litaker's Obituary
Janette Litaker passed away on January 29, 2024, at 4:29 AM at Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville, AR after a long, hard fought battle with cancer. Janette was born on June 7, 1963, to Thomas Chaplain (deceased) and Hester Dias (deceased) in Dundee, Scotland. She is survived by her husband of 25 years, Steve, her daughters, Danielle and Katherine, her son, Thomas, her son-in-law, Chris, her grandson, Jackson, and her siblings, Corinne, Kevin, and Colin. Janette is preceded in death by her brother Jeremy.
At age three, the family moved to London where Janette progressed through secondary school and early work life. A shy and quiet girl grew into a cheeky, disarming young woman. Her spirit and warmth attracted many life-long friends who are now in all corners of the world. In her early twenties, Janette followed her mother to San Francisco, sparking a new life in the United States. Janette started a career with Oral-B Laboratories where she flourished as a customer service representative. Then in 1996, Janette met her husband Steve at Oral-B.
Janette married Steve, the love of her life, on March 21, 1998. Their life together took them from San Francisco to Boston to Fayetteville, Arkansas, threading friendships and community into their life together along the way. Janette’s ability to forge relationships was remarkable. She sparked joy in those around her with her vibrant wit, and her compassion allowed everyone who crossed her path to feel safe, welcome, and heard. Janette’s far-reaching community is a testament to her consistency, empathy, and warmth.
Throughout her entire life, Janette found solace and joy in the comforts of music. In her later years, Janette decided it was finally time to step onstage, and joined School of Rock on the bass guitar and vocals. She showed all of us what it means to live life to its fullest, embracing performance and rock even in some of her sickest moments. Her confidence and joy was infectious to all who got the pleasure of watching her perform.
While Janette wore many hats in life, her most cherished title was Mom. She guided and nurtured her children with invaluable patience and pride, serving as their biggest advocate and greatest confidant. We like to say that Janette even held onto life to get to meet her first grandson Jackson, who she adored with her entire heart. Everyone who spoke to Janette knew just how proud she was of her family.
Janette lived a life of passion and radiance. She chose to see the world exactly for what it was, do her part to better what she could, and make others feel loved along the way. Janette lived by example, showing up and serving the needs of others every single day. There was, and always will be, room for everyone at Janette’s table. May we all continue to spread the light and love that she extended to everyone she reached. There is a Janette-sized hole out there in the world, let’s all go do our best to fill it. The family deeply appreciates your support during this difficult time and asks that you make contributions to METAvivor Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund in lieu of flowers. https://donate.metavivor.org/give/318818/#!/donation/checkout
A Celebration of Janette’s Life will be held from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, February 24, 2024, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 2925 Old Missouri Road, Fayetteville, AR, 72703. There will be a memorial service followed by a social hour with small bites, drinks, and live music. We hope you will join our family to share memories and commemorate the life of Janette!
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