Janet Priest (Jan) Hooper

Janet (Jan) Priest Hooper died in her home in Sun City on Friday, December 6, 2013 after a brief bout with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving husband, Robert (Bob) Channing Hooper, Jr., her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Bob, of Sun City; her daughter Susan Duncan and her husband, Jackie, of Concord, NC; Nancy Ryer and her husband, J. Hill Ryer, of Germantown, TN; her son, the Rev. Robert C. Hooper, III. And his wife Priscilla, of West Hartford, CT and her daughter, Jill McGarry, and her husband, Marty, of Glastonbury, CT; 11 grandchildren and her sister, Jean Sax of Sun City West, AZ. Jan considered her children the greatest accomplishment of her life. Born in New Hyde Park, NY on June 16, 1935, Jan grew up in Garden City and Stewart Manor, NY. As a young woman, she worked as an administrative assistant in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. On June 15, 1957, Jan married her high school sweetheart, Bob. What followed were years of adventures taking them to live in 13 states and London, England. Jan made friends and planted gardens every place she lived. As a loving and energetic mother of four, she was a girl scout leader, room mother, Sunday school teacher, and PTA chairman in towns from Rochester, Minnesota to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She enjoyed watching her children participate in any sport which were many, and drove them to thousands of gymnastic, track, baseball, soccer, tennis, swim practices and tutoring sessions. As a young woman, she was a competitive tennis player and a fan of tennis her entire life. Jan was an avid gardener. She was chairwoman of the Special Interest Group for Low Country Gardening as part of the Avant-Gardeners. She was president of the Federated Garden Club in Ridgefield, CT. While living in London, she studied floral design with Constance Spry. A lifelong Episcopalian, Jan was active in her church. She was on the Altar Guild, on the vestry, was a delegate to convention in the Diocese of East Tennessee, was a Lay Eucharistic Minister, and on the flower guild. Here in South Carolina, Jan was president of the AD Chapter of P.E.O. Sisterhood. She felt extremely blessed to be a part of this organization and was eternally grateful for their love and support, especially throughout her illness. Jan will always be remembered for her smile, her friendliness, her humor and the love she had for God and her family. A memorial service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church, 3001 Meeting Street, Hilton Head Island. The date and time are still to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to All Saints Episcopal Church and Hospice Care of the Low Country, 119 Palmetto Way, Suite C1, P.O. Box 3827, Bluffton, SC 29910. A memorial service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church, 3001 Meeting Street, Hilton Head Island. The date and time are still to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to All Saints Episcopal Church and Hospice Care of the Low Country, 119 Palmetto Way, Suite C1, P.O. Box 3827, Bluffton, SC 29910.