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Janet Marie Gearhart, age 72, passed away Friday, February 10, 2023 in Toledo at Serenity Gardens of Park Terrace.
Jan was born May 8, 1950 in Angola, Indiana, daughter of Richard and Evelyn (Van Zile) Gearhart, of Edon, Ohio. Jan was joyful, witty, creative, and generous. Her passion for nursing defined her, professionally, while love of family and Christian faith grounded her.
Known as Jan Orphey and Jan Ashley during her 40-year career, she impacted countless patients, students, and fellow nurses. Janet received her RN from Flower Hospital School of Nursing in 1971; awarded “Outstanding Nursing Student” while at Columbus Children’s Hospital. She held several positions simultaneously throughout the region: working for Toledo Hospital (ProMedica) in adult cardiac units for many years. An Assistant Clinical Manager in their Pediatric ICU, she flew aboard LifeFlight helicopter on the Transport Team. In 1988, while raising her children and full-time Staff nurse at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Level 1 Trauma/Med-Surg ICU, Janet earned her BSN, Cum Laude from the University of Toledo.
Jan achieved a combined MSN and Certificate of Teaching in Health Care from Eastern Michigan University in 2003. Her 20-years as instructor included St. Vincent School of Nursing, Botsford Hospital- Michigan, The Ohio State University, and UTMC. She was proud of her CCRN designation and being a Northwest Ohio Nurses Association board member. She retired as Critical Care Nurse Educator for Detroit Medical Center in 2014 where a shining example of Jan occurred. As Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor, she discovered Detroit Fire Department was untrained in Basic Life Support, so she led a volunteer project ensuring BLS and AED certification for all 700 Detroit firefighters.
Equally committed to family interests, Jan was Girl Scout troop leader and co-founder of St. Ursula Academy’s first “after-proms”. She brought her enthusiasm for sports to her grandchildren’s events. Alongside her kids, brothers, or former spouses, she cheered for the Rockets, Buckeyes, and Detroit Tigers. An avid golfer, she was co-champion in the Loving Irons ladies league. She routinely traveled to, or with, her parents before they died, and especially loved regular visits to her son in Charleston, South Carolina.
Her fondness of lighthouses took her to Great Lakes, Carolinas, and Florida coastlines. She aided Toledo Harbor Light Society in the deed transfer from the US government and with their Lighthouse Festival at Maumee Bay. Janet was a longtime member of Edon Church of Christ, and more recently Defiance Christian Church.
Janet is survived by her daughter, Denise (Jerry) Stollings, of Winchester, Virginia; son Christopher Orphey, of Clermont, Florida; grandchildren, Jessica (Dominic) Mansel-Pleydell, Jackson and Gabriel Stollings, and Grace Mueller; brothers, Lon (Carol Lepper) Gearhart, of Fort Wayne and Leon (Debbie) Gearhart, of Bryan; a nephew and three nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Visitation will be Sunday, February 19, 2023 from 1:00-3:00 P.M. at Krill Funeral Home, 204 West Indiana Street, Edon, Ohio. Funeral services will be Monday, February 20, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 903 Center Street, Bryan, Ohio with Pastor Steve Rath officiating. Interment will be at Edon Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Ohio Nurses Foundation for a scholarship fund in her name (ohionursesfoundation.org)