Janet Anderson Lightner
March 2, 1939 - April 26, 2021
Obituary
Born March 2, 1939, died peacefully at St. Joseph’s Hospital on April 26, 2021. She is survived by her son, Rob (Jessie Brown) and daughter, Jill (Tom Marshall).
Jan Lightner majored in Speech Pathology and Counseling Psychology at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where she received her BSc in 1961 and MA in 1963. She worked as a soda jerk, a lifeguard, and a jazz drummer before college graduation, and saved up from her first post-college job as a speech therapist to spend six weeks in Europe and then attend grad school. She fought for pay equity, worked to prevent violence against women and kids in the rural south, and defended free speech in King County libraries in the face of death threats. Beginning in 1958, she was highly active in her sorority Alpha Xi Delta, ultimately serving a term as National Membership Vice President and helping establish several chapters across the country in the 1970s and 1980s.
At Jan’s request, there will not be a service. The family encourages anyone who would like to make a donation to send it to the Jan and Gene Lightner Scholarship Fund, University of Nebraska Foundation, 1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508.
Fellow-Nebraskans and work-out friends at Federal Way Community Center. We will miss her humor,conversation and love of all things Nebraska
I will miss our conversations and laughter. This was very unexpected. She will be missed greatly.
Jan and Gene were such great friends and supporters of the University. Truly class people who clearly put others before themselves. I will miss having wonderful conversations with them at Salty’s, just down the road from their home. Godspeed Jan Lightner!
I am so very sorry to hear of Jan’s passing. If first met her in the late ’70’s when she was such an active volunteer at Nu Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta. She was a wonderful role model for all of young women just starting out in life. I can still hear her laugh. We will always remember her.
Jan was a wonderful great-aunt who brought a lot of light into our lives growing up. I will always remember her with love.
Jill – I realized I hadn’t seen a FB post from Jan in awhile and just found this after a little Googling. My sincere condolences for your loss – your mother was an amazing woman and she raised an amazing daughter and son. With love and condolences, Julie Naughton