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Decatur, GA —
Joseph William Janson, 100, who together with his wife restored the historic 1838 Luther Mason home near Blue Springs during the late 1970s, died May 30 at an assisted-living facility in Decatur, Ga., following a short illness.
A native of Chicago who earned a journalism degree at Northwestern University, he was introduced to Jackson County following a blind date in 1975 with a longtime resident of Independence, Jane Fletcher Saunders, a former women’s editor of The Examiner. At the suggestion of a colleague they met to tour a Chinese archaeological exhibit at the Nelson Gallery, and later that year they were married. The next year, after his retirement as associate creative director at J. Walter Thompson in Chicago, they moved to the old house on Mason School Road, which had been unoccupied for many years, and began routing the resident raccoons, installing plumbing and making other significant improvements.
The Jansons were active in the Jackson County Historical Society and collaborated to create an audiovisual slide show, “The Story of Independence,” which was shown in elementary schools. They also collaborated to write a cookbook, “Travel Your Taste,” for Kraft, Inc., published in 1978 by CBI, Boston. Joe pursued lifelong interests in photography, Asian art, book collecting, wine making and traveling, and he was a member of the Confrerie de Vins Chaine des Rotisseurs and Les Amis du Vin.
The Jansons later relocated to Kansas City and then to Philadelphia. After Jane’s death in 2004 he returned to Chicago before moving to the Atlanta area three years ago.
He is survived by three children from his 37-year marriage to Ursula Heurich Janson, who died in 1973: Gilbert Janson, Chicago; Laura Waddick, Decatur; and Jennifer Fuller, Atlanta. His elder son, Ramsey, died in 1956. He also is survived by his stepdaughter, Nancy Saunders Steele, Philadelphia, formerly of Independence; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
He has donated his body to Emory University’s School of Medicine. A private memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions in his memory be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Joseph William Janson, 100, who together with his wife restored the historic 1838 Luther Mason home near Blue Springs during the late 1970s, died May 30 at an assisted-living facility in Decatur, Ga., following a short illness.
A native of Chicago who earned a journalism degree at Northwestern University, he was introduced to Jackson County following a blind date in 1975 with a longtime resident of Independence, Jane Fletcher Saunders, a former women’s editor of The Examiner. At the suggestion of a colleague they met to tour a Chinese archaeological exhibit at the Nelson Gallery, and later that year they were married. The next year, after his retirement as associate creative director at J. Walter Thompson in Chicago, they moved to the old house on Mason School Road, which had been unoccupied for many years, and began routing the resident raccoons, installing plumbing and making other significant improvements.
The Jansons were active in the Jackson County Historical Society and collaborated to create an audiovisual slide show, “The Story of Independence,” which was shown in elementary schools. They also collaborated to write a cookbook, “Travel Your Taste,” for Kraft, Inc., published in 1978 by CBI, Boston. Joe pursued lifelong interests in photography, Asian art, book collecting, wine making and traveling, and he was a member of the Confrerie de Vins Chaine des Rotisseurs and Les Amis du Vin.
The Jansons later relocated to Kansas City and then to Philadelphia. After Jane’s death in 2004 he returned to Chicago before moving to the Atlanta area three years ago.
He is survived by three children from his 37-year marriage to Ursula Heurich Janson, who died in 1973: Gilbert Janson, Chicago; Laura Waddick, Decatur; and Jennifer Fuller, Atlanta. His elder son, Ramsey, died in 1956. He also is survived by his stepdaughter, Nancy Saunders Steele, Philadelphia, formerly of Independence; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
He has donated his body to Emory University’s School of Medicine. A private memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions in his memory be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
