Janet Herner Obituary

Janet E. Herner

May 22, 1933 - Jun 8, 2024

Norwalk

Janet E. (Twaddle) "Jan" Herner, 91, of Norwalk, passed away Saturday, June 8, 2024, at her residence surrounded by her family.

Nobody expects to live to 91 years old, not even Janet Elinor Twaddle Herner, who died at her West Main Street home on June 8. But for her, more time meant more impact.

As a child, Jan loved to ride her bike near her home on State Street. She would go to the post office and study pictures of the "most wanted" with a goal of helping to catch them. Jan always had a zest for justice - wanting to see the underdog win, the vulnerable protected and perpetrators held accountable.

When her father, Frank, moved the family to Route 61, "the country," she mounted her bike and threatened to run away. Living in a neighborhood suited her the best and she spent decades entertaining neighbors and friends on her beloved screened-in front porch. She wondered if her penchant for vodka tonics and menthol cigarettes contributed to her longevity.

In her youth, she liked to roller skate and was active in sporting leagues - volleyball, basketball, bowling, and tennis. Jan, also known as JET, was inseparable from her dogs and requested that donations be given to Huron County Humane Society in her honor. Her favorite dog was Clancy, a gray sheep dog. Most recently, it was her "significant other," Murphy.

As a teen, Jan would write fan letters to her "idols," including Gene Kelly from her favorite movie, "Singing in the Rain." Another of her favorite movies was "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" a dramatic 1967 movie about race relations, starring Sidney Poitier - another celebrity crush.

Jan was a lifelong resident of Norwalk and had school spirit for her alma mater, Norwalk High School (class of 1951), but she was not a homebody. She wanted to be out and about. She constantly said "keep me updated" - whether it be about small-town and family happenings or news of national importance.

If you look up the word "twaddle" in the dictionary, as Janet would like to point out, it is defined as "nonsense." She was close with her parents, Frank and Ruth, and family dogs (German Shepherds) and adored her older brother, Jack A. Twaddle. She loved spending time with her nieces and nephews, who were practice children before she had her own. "We have fun," she would say of her side of the family.

Jan, a Presbyterian, had a few serious Catholic boyfriends in her 20s, but ultimately things ended over religious disputes. She met Robert William Herner at Reinick's bar near Monroeville and he put an end to her "man hater" era. She gained a second family in the Herners and the two were married for more than 40 years. The pair loved to be social, especially at VFW and American Legion. He bought her a yellow Mustang convertible for her 50th birthday.

Jan loved typing and her favorite job was secretary at Norwalk High School in her 20s. After that, she was a "domestic engineer," staying at home with her children, Suzanne Marie Herner Sopa and Matthew Robert Herner, through their teen years. Later, she worked in special needs classrooms for 35 years until the age of 77. After retirement, she ran errands for Christian Roberts Salon and Spa while serving as president of the company.

Janet also served as a poll worker and lifelong member of the Republican Party. Ronald Reagan was a favorite and she wished Condoleezza Rice would have run for the top office. Jan loved America and patriotic motifs. She pulled out the elephant and donkey Beanie Babies for election season. Her favorite color was red and she wore "streetwalker red" lipstick every day.

As a person who never got to meet her grandmothers, she took the role of grandmother seriously. Many knew her as simply, Grandma Jan. She hosted special meetings at a front booth of Berry's restaurant for fries and milkshakes and let grandchildren pick out treats at the Dollar Tree. She was happy to see all four of them, Elyse Marie, Hannah Jean, Andrew Robert Jan, and Alaina Grace, graduate college.

Jan didn't show her love through conventional means - hugs and I love you's - it came through glasses of Kool-Aid lemonade, homemade chex mix, and styrofoam to-go boxes inscribed with the recipient's name and "Enjoy!!"

In her last years of life, it started to feel strange to Jan that she was outliving her friends, whom she always prioritized. She even survived a near-death experience of a tree falling into her living room. Perhaps it was so she could see the total eclipse that happened in Norwalk this year. She loved that. It was definitely so that she could continue to pour into the lives of the people who crossed her path.

A bit of a worrier herself, Jan could sense that quality in others. "Turn it off for the night," she'd suggest. But 91 years of life made her keenly aware that she could not control the future. "Que sera sera," she'd exclaim! "Whatever will be, will be!"

A patriotic party in honor of Jan is slated for later this summer.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Evans Funeral Home, 314 E. Main Street, Norwalk.