Janis O’kelly White

KNOXVILLE Janis O’kelly White, 74, formerly of Memphis, Tenn., died Oct. 7, 2021, in Knoxville, Tenn., after a long illness. She was born in Detroit, Mich., and, due to her father’s career, spent her youth living in a number of different countries, including Lebanon, Sweden, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Greece. She attended high school in St. Petersburg, Fla., before attending Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where she obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She married and raised her four children in Bayville, N.Y., St. James, N.Y., and Memphis, Tenn.

Janis was a savvy businesswoman who spent most of her career in the medical field, later serving as the founder and CEO of the largest medical transcription company in the Southeast. An adventurous, lifelong learner who loved to travel, she was fluent in multiple languages and was a brilliant conversationalist. She possessed a great sense of humor and vivacious personality that, combined with her talent for cooking, resulted in fabulous dinner parties for friends and loved ones. Janis’s compassionate heart led her to regularly volunteer with the Dorothy Day House, His Way Center for Spiritual Growth, addiction rehabilitation programs, and Memphis literacy programs.

She was preceded in death by her father, John Kelly, and her mother, Virginia Condon Kelly. She is survived by her son, Noah White (Sarah); daughters, Simone Ollen (Reggie), Chloe Kennedy (Chad) and Caroline White (Andrew); and grandsons, Shea, Dash and Sam. The family is forever grateful to special friends Filipp and Luda Gashchenko of Knoxville, Tenn., who provided compassionate and loving care to Janis in the final years of her life.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. The family wishes that memorial contributions be made to the Dorothy Day House at https://www.dorothydaymemphis.org/.