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Jannine Abbott Richardson, 75, passed away March 11, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born in Anaconda, Montana, June 23, 1947, to Winifred and Leonard Abbott. She graduated from Anaconda High School class of 1965. She then attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a teaching degree and certification for special education, making her the first-generation college graduate of her family. While a student at Brigham Young University, she was a member of the student service organization called SPURS.
Jan met the love of her life and eternal companion, Dennis Grant Richardson, in 1969 at BYU, and they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple by Spencer W. Kimball on April 2, 1970. At that time, Jan was teaching at Dixon Junior High in Provo and later accepted a position of training student teachers at the demonstration school at the B.Y. Academy, a program designed to teach severely disabled children.
The couple lived for a short time in Enid, Oklahoma, and then Glendale, California, before settling in Butte, Montana. A job transfer with the Anaconda Company to Tooele, Utah, in 1980 meant a final move to the hometown where Jan would spend the rest of her life enjoying the company of friends, coworkers, and family.
Jan’s passion for helping the underdog meant an ardent fervor for special education. She was a firm believer in early intervention and spent most of her professional years working with students from kindergarten to 3rd grade, although she spent years working with all ages of special ed up to secondary education.
She thoroughly enjoyed her years at Sterling R. Harris Elementary School, working with generations of kids and wonderful coworkers who would become some of her most cherished lifelong friends, and retired in 2006 after 30 years of teaching. Even after retiring, Jan took a part-time position with Alpine Academy and enjoyed working with the students and faculty there as well.
Jan enjoyed the arts and encouraged her children to participate in music, dance, art, and dramatic productions. While Jan shied away from performance, she had a few short months of piano lessons at an early age, worked hard to be a self-taught pianist, and played in support of many church functions.
In her retirement, she found joy in daily early morning workouts at the pool with her close friends, and she enjoyed serving in the Jordan River Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She was preceded in death by her parents and sister. She is survived by her husband Dennis; and her three children and their families Carolynn (Nate) Oscarson, Gavin, Eliza, and Hugh; Mark (Kit Olpin) Richardson; and Natalie (Jeric) Leavitt, Carter, Eden, Anna, James, and Kelsen.
While Jan was a two-time breast cancer survivor, she ultimately succumbed to a rare, metastatic gallbladder cancer after an eight-month battle on Saturday, March 11. Jan’s family would like to thank the wonderful care and support she received from CNS hospice. They would also like to thank her Sterling Club friends as well as her Beta Sigma Phi sisters, ward members, neighbors, and stake members who helped so much to make her comfortable in her final days.
Services will be March 31, 2023, at 11 a.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 283 S. 200 East, Tooele, Utah.
