ARLINGTON, Texas — Janita (Jan) Faye Moore

passed away peacefully in her sleep Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Arlington, Texas, of complications from a stroke she suffered in 2016. She was born July 22, 1936, the seventh of eight children to Abner R. and Thelma Chandler Fitzgerald, in Damascus, Ark.

She is predeceased by her parents; six siblings; her husband, James N. Moore; and granddaughter, Lauren Millican.

Survivors include daughter, Pam Millican and husband Scott; son, David Moore and wife Diana; grandchildren, Ryan Tharp and wife Amy, Hilary Millican, Chris Riley, Shawn Riley and wife Janie; great-grandchildren, Elliott, Zadie and Lillian Tharp and Victoria, Anastasia and Ethan Riley. She is also survived by sister, Betty Boling and husband Roy; and many wonderful nieces and nephews as well as close friends.

Services will be Saturday, March 20, at First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ark., at 10 a.m. Family will receive visitors at Moore’s Chapel Funeral Home in Fayetteville, Friday night from 6-8 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to abide by mask mandates.

Jan was raised in Morrilton, Ark., where she met the love of her life, Jim (Norman) Moore. They married in 1953 and she followed him to Fayetteville where he attended the University of Arkansas. From there, their family moved to New Jersey where she supported Jim while he worked on his Ph.D. After living in Maryland, they decided to move back to Arkansas to be closer to their families and where he began the fruit breeding program at the U of A.

Jan was active at Asbell Elementary in the 60s-early 90s in PTA and was in a group that was instrumental in bringing open concept classrooms to Fayetteville schools. She was a librarian in the early years and library aide/materials coordinator in the modular classrooms later. She attended University of Arkansas for three years.

When Jan retired, she enjoyed gardening and became an avid bird-watcher, especially her beloved bluebirds. She fostered five young bluebirds when their mother was killed, while writing a book about them called “Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe and Jake”. They lived to return for years after.

In addition to mothering her beloved Dachshund dogs, she took many U of A horticulture Master’s/Ph.D. students under her maternal wings. She and Jim would entertain at their farm after the intermural baseball games in which he played. She always made his students feel like family.

Jan enjoyed traveling and took advantage of going to Ireland to seek out her family lineage. She also loved reading and impressed upon her children and grandchildren that reading was a gateway to another world in the imagination. This is a legacy gift as reading to the children/ grandchildren has become the standard to be pass on.

Jan dearly loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She and Jim decided in 2013 to move closer to them to see them more often. Jan was fun loving, making lunch dates and shopping with friends. She never met a stranger. She enjoyed life and loved her friends. Thank you to those who contributed to her happiness and made her life whole.

Jan loved Asbell Elementary and enjoyed both her co-workers and the students with whom she interacted daily.

Memorials may be made to Asbell Elementary School Library Activity, in memory of Jan Moore.

The family wishes to express their immense gratitude to Visiting Physicians Association, Dr. Jan Zdanuk, Lone Star Visiting Caregivers and Comfort Hospice for their excellent medical care and loving support of Jan Moore and her family. It is only with the help of these wonderful people in our lives that our mother was able to live her last years comfortably.

Visitation will be 6-8 p.m., Friday March 19, 2021, at Moore’s Chapel. Funeral service will be 10 a.m., Saturday at Fayetteville First Baptist Church with burial to follow in Fairview Memorial Gardens.

Click this link to view additional details about Janita’s Services, including any available livestreams: my.gather. app/remember/janita-moore.

To place an online tribute, please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com.