Janet Carol McDonald, loving wife, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and friend to all that she met passed away Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at Ascension Borgess Hospital surrounded by her immediate family.
A memorial service will take place at 4:00 p.m. Friday, January 14, 2022, at Dutcher Funeral Home in Coldwater with Pastor Dave Pierce of the First Baptist Church officiating.
Her family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 2:00 pm. A private burial will take place at Oak Grove Cemetery at a later date.
A luncheon for family and friends will follow immediately after at the Dutcher Occasions building. For those who cannot attend the service in person, you can see the webcast on Janet’s Dutcher Funeral Home webpage.
Janet was born on August 9, 1943, to Laban B. and Hazel (Greene) Parton in Sevierville, Tennessee. She spent the majority of her first seven years in the care of her loving grandmother, Ida (Jenkins) Parton, along with her brother, Charles Parton. There on the farm of her deceased grandfather, William B. Parton, under the tutelage of her grandmother, she was taught the importance of family. Along with her family, they attended Antioch Baptist Church where they practiced loving and aiding your family and friends. Values that she would carry with her and apply throughout her life.
Following the end of WWII and the return of her father from the Navy, they moved to Detroit, Michigan where the reemerging automotive industry was busy transitioning from wartime to peace time auto manufacturing. The small girl from the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains found new adventures in the bustling life of a city dweller. Her family also expanded, and she found herself the ‘big sister’ to four more siblings. All of whom she took under wing and watched over under her loving mom, Edith Parton. The family then moved to Northville, Michigan where Janet attended school and graduated. From there she would attend Ferris state University until she moved to Coldwater, Michigan.
Jan worked for JCPenney’s in Coldwater before being one of the first two people hired to open the new Tempo Store. After a one year stay in Monroe, Michigan working with the Monroe Evening News, she returned with her family to Coldwater and took a position with Branch County Bank, now Century Bank & Trust. She would hold a position with Century Bank for 40 years and was promoted as the first female officer in that bank. She retired from Century Bank as VP of Customer Service and Security Officer.
During her tenure at Century Bank, she would represent the bank on the advisory board of the Branch Area Career Center for many years. She served as a local advisor to many local BACC students, preparing them for state and national DECA competition. She served as both a State Judge and National Judge in the DECA program. She would interview, coach, and hire over 200 high school students into the bank where she would further coach and train them for careers in business. She laughingly declared that it was time to retire when, as she said, “I am now hiring the children of the children I once taught”.
Janet was raised with the belief that family was the center of your life, and she lived hers true to her upbringing. She was devoted to her children, making sure she attended every one of their events. She was equally attentive when her grandchildren came into her life. She never passed up a chance to spend time with her family.
While she did not care for international travel, she dearly loved to visit every nock and cranny in the United States. As a result, her and her family would visit every state, and every scenic place in every state. Thought we must say that she had a nifty knack of somehow having many trips end in Las Vegas. And, not to forget, that she knew many hostesses at Firekeeper’s on a first name basis, just saying.
Janet is survived by her husband of 54 years, David L. McDonald of Coldwater; her sons, Michael (Cynthia) McDonald of Parchment, and Matthew (Kai) McDonald of Mattawan; her step-daughter, Michelle McDonald of Traverse City; her siblings Debra (Debbie) McGinnis of South Lyons, and Barry (Terri) Parton of Alva, FL; her grandchildren, Ashton, Colin, Emmett, and Morgan; her sisters-in-law, Vicki, Diane, and Connie; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her stepmother whom she was raised by, Edith Parton; her stepfather, Donald Owens; and her brothers Charles, William “Dale,” Dennis, and Donald Parton.
Memorials may be directed to the Naomi Davis Shelter House. www.dutcherfh.com
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