Lasting Memories

Janet Kristin Winter
Sept. 9, 1948-March 13, 2020
Mt View, California

Janet Kristin Leaver Winter, 71, entered into God’s loving arms on March 13, 2020 from her home in Mountain View, California.

Janet was born on September 9, 1948 in Palo Alto, California to Robert and Joan Leaver. She grew up in Palo Alto and Menlo Park and graduated from Menlo Atherton high school in 1966. She continued her education at the College of San Mateo.

Janet lived most of her life on the San Francisco peninsula. Over the years before her retirement she worked at Kodak, Jiffy Lube, McWhorters and Orchard Supply. In the locations where she worked as a cashier, she was sure to greet you with her heartwarming smile.

The joys of her life were her parents, her siblings, her daughter and grand daughter, her nieces and nephews, and of course, her adored pets. Not a single person or pet was ever forgotten on a birthday, or at Christmas. We will miss her cheerful email greetings. To Janet, giving was not second nature, it was her primary nature.

With the help of her aunt and cousins she learned to knit. Even in the last months of her life she was known to surprise family members with the gift of hand knit slippers. Her family fondly called her Jazz. They paid this tribute to her, “Jazz was the sweetest person you could ever meet. One of her greatest gifts was kindness and we are better because of her. She will be fondly remembered and deeply missed.” Janet was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Neely Leaver and Joan O'Grady Leaver.

She is survived and forever in the hearts of brothers and sisters, R Grady (Rosemary Read) Leaver, Pacifica, California; Michael (Peter Engelhart) Leaver, Berkeley, California; Cindy (Jeffrey) Backstrom, Fairfield, Iowa; Patton (Elizabeth) Leaver, Moorpark, California; Scott (Mary) Leaver, Los Altos, California; Mark C. (Rose) Leaver, Menlo Park, California; her nieces and nephews: Mark F. Leaver, Soren Leaver, Simon Leaver-Appelman, Daniel Jacobson, Heather Miller, Thomas Miller, Collin Miller, Thomas Leaver, Cathleen Leaver Cantwell, Elizabeth Leaver Condron, Margaret Leaver, Claire Leaver, Brett Leaver as well as many cousins. May God bless her.