Janet Chandler

Janet Chandler was filled with joie de vivre (she would like that little bit of French).

She was born near the strawberry fields and swamps of Bedico, Louisiana, during the Great Depression. After graduating from Ponchatoula High School at the age of 17, she left to travel and live around the world. And what a life she lived!

Her adventure started in Biloxi, Mississippi, where she lived with her Aunt Annie Fortenberry and got a job as a long distance information operator at Southern Bell Telephone Company in 1951. Janet met Airman Gene Chandler the same year, and they were married June 1, 1952. In 1954, she moved to Virginia to live with Gene’s family on their farm while he was stationed in Alaska. In 20 years, they lived at Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, Louisiana; NATO Headquarters in Fontainebleau, France; Pease AFB in Portsmouth, New Hampshire;and Randolph AFB in San Antonio, Texas. They returned to Biloxi after retirement in 1971.

After being widowed in her early 40s, Janet was left with little money, no job and no college education, and to play mother and father to a young son still living at home. When people told her to move closer to family in Virginia or Louisiana, she stayed in Biloxi and reinvented herself. Just six years later, she graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1981. She was an elementary school teacher for a year before being diagnosed with breast cancer.

After surviving breast cancer, Janet went on to volunteer with the Red Cross at Keesler Air Force Base Medical Center and became a ward clerk at the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Hospital. She worked her way up to becoming a medical library technician, working for 14 years at the Biloxi VA before retiring in 2000. Janet’s years at the Biloxi VA were some of the happiest of her life - she loved her job and her colleagues, earned a good living, traveled near and far, and met her faithful and loving companion, Nick Eighmey.

She spent more than half of her life as a single, strong, independent lady. She was intelligent and full of wit. She was extraordinary. She bought her own home after being widowed, renovated it meticulously and created a warm, inviting place to host dinner parties for friends and family.

Janet was a fabulous cook. She was ‘Chili Queen’ after winning an annual chili cookoff at First United Methodist Church in Gulfport. Her gumbo, lasagna, Spanish rice, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate chip cookies and Russian tea cake cookies were divine. She was constantly taking food or treats to her colleagues and friends, particularly her friends at Keesler AFB Chapel and First United Methodist Church in Gulfport.

She appreciated, sought and cherished beautiful, fine things all her life. She laughingly attributed her expensive taste to her French ancestry. But she loved a deal, never hesitating to bargain and making a trademark clicking noise whenever she found treasure. She loved to dress up and go to plays at Center Stage or one of the many shows or concerts that came to the Coast.

Janet was brave and courageous. She went whitewater rafting – twice – even though she didn’t know how to swim! She went horseback riding in the Colorado mountains, despite being terrified of horses. She lived through Hurricane Katrina and helped put a new roof on her home, despite being afraid of heights.

She was a devoted and doting, but far from typical, grandma: she drove a stick shift BMW; went on family vacations ranging from camping trips in the American West to following sailboat races along the Gulf; went on cross-country road trips numerous times; and overseas, wandering Paris’ boulevards and London’s cobblestone streets; she loved Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Jesus Christ Superstar and Billy Joel. She went to countless ballet and piano recitals and softball games.

She was a devoted caretaker and friend; she cared for her Aunt Annie Fortenberry who lived well into her 90s, her friends Catherine and Wendall Conner, and neighbor Lydia Erickson. In her final few months, she appreciated the kindness and care of Louverta Adams in her home.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Rufus and Gertrude Sticker; her husband, Gene Chandler; her brother, Kennedy Sticker; and her faithful and loving companion, Nicholas Eighmey.

She is survived by her children and their spouses: Pamela and Randy Yeaman of Abilene, Texas; Leslie and Judson Williams of Pass Christian, Mississippi; and Gregory and Robin Chandler of Orlando, Florida; her three granddaughters and their spouses: Allison Yeaman of Plano, Texas; Caroline and William Shaw of Pensacola, Florida; and Shelby and Nathan Poulos of Wilmington, North Carolina; and one great grandson, Grayson Shaw. She is also survived by her brother and sisters: Nathan (Bunch) Sticker of Ponchatoula, Louisiana; Dorothy Quave of Ponchatoula, Louisiana; and Patricia Eberhardt of Hammond, Louisiana. She also leaves behind an extended family of nieces, nephews, in-laws, and life-long friends, particularly her “Twit Sister” Pamela Blair.

She will be missed dearly and remembered fondly with laughter by all who were blessed to know and love her.

Family and friends are welcome to visit and share memories of Janet during a visitation from 4 - 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 29, 2022, at the Riemann Family Funeral Home, 274 Beauvoir Road, Biloxi. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, December 30, 2022, at the Riemann Family Funeral Home, immediately followed at 10 a.m. by interment at Biloxi National Cemetery.