Janet Ann Ziniach

A beautiful, strong, sweet and salty, force of nature, loving, devoted, woman of God was
called Home to Heaven at 7:45 pm on Saturday, November 4, 2023.
Janet was born in 1943 to William Isaac Henthorn and Nina Bethel Hopkins Henthorn.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Betty, then her mother, Bethel, and her father,
William. Living as her legacy are her daughter, Leisl (Kenneth) Ashbaugh and her son
Osasere (Sarah) Aghedo. Along with her granddaughter Caitlin (Blake Balser fiancé)
Ashbaugh, granddaughters Esosa and Orobosa Aghedo, and grandson Osagie
Aghedo.
Janet was a very strong and independent person who loved fiercely and intensely. She
was a voracious reader who would stay up all night reading. She mastered the art of
catnapping to continue on her reading adventure each night until she finished her book.
Not to mention that when the suspense of how the story ended was getting to her, she
would perhaps venture to sneak a peek at the end of the book in order to satisfy her
curiosity.
During her wonderful life, Janet gained many nicknames. “Franketta” because she did it
her way. ”Madine” as her wit and humor often resembled a blend of Madea and Maxine.
“Tex” because she had a sweet tooth the size of Texas. “Imelda” because of her love of
shoes. During her bank processing administration career she gained the names of
“Garfield”… as in the cartoon cat and her infamous “Jansabitch” because she took no
prisoners and stood head-to-head, toe-to-toe with the best in a male-dominated
industry. In her MCDB program manager career, she was called “Momma Duck” as she
took great care to nurture the students and encourage them to achieve success. “A
Force of Nature” and “A Force To Be Reckoned With” were two nicknames that followed
her throughout her life. She fought for what was right. She was never afraid to offer her
opinion or to correct yours. However, her favorite, and most treasured, nicknames were
“Nana” and “Grandma”.
Jan was continually recruiting students for her MCDB program. It was extremely
important to her for everyone to know you could have access to an education and could
accomplish whatever to which you put your mind.
She loved to dance, and her favorite dance was The Twist. She taught many a
youngster how to do the dance. Words were her thing. She could spell just about any
word and commanded proper grammar in her writings. She could add and multiply in
her mind with the speed of a calculator. In her later years, she would sit and do word
searches for hours on end. She also enjoyed a great Bingo session.
Most of all she loved God. Her counsel was always about the Biblical approach. She
took her favorite vocation of sowing seeds for the Kingdom very seriously. God’s
promise that He wishes above all things that none shall perish but have ever-lasting life,
was one of her main motivations. Even some of her last voiced words were “this life

and one more and the next one will be with God”. The next quote would be “to be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. Many can bear witness to these
quotes and her steadfast belief in their truth. In her feisty days, her most quoted quote
was “Who’s in charge here” whenever something needed straightened out. Now she
fully knows the answer to that question, it is Our Father who is in Heaven. Her family
and friends have no doubt that she was welcomed into His arms with the words “Well
done my good and faithful servant... Welcome Home”.
It would mean so very much to Jan that if you have not yet acknowledged Jesus as the
Son of God, sent to Earth to die for our sins, that you would ask Him to come into your
heart as Lord and Savior.
Jan never wanted a traditional funeral. There will be a Life Celebration at a date still to
be determined. Don’t worry, there will be more songs than Frank Sinatra’s and Elvis
Presley’s “I Did It My Way” so please keep looking on for the announcement.
We would like to thank our extended family of the staff and caregivers at LanFair,
especially those in the Long Hall. These truly special Earth angels have been grafted
into our hearts and we are forever thankful to their loving, tender care they gave to her
during the last year and a half plus of her life.
In lieu of flowers, please instead contribute to your favorite charity in her name. Also,
please post a favorite memory, story or dish about Mom for us.
Much love, Jan’s family