July 23, 1928 ~
Born July 23, 1928, in Lawrence Michigan to Riley and Marian (Howard) Pyle. Married to Arthur G. Park. Attended country schools and graduated from Marcellus High Schooland WMU. Later got a Master’s in Library Science and Teaching certificate.
She is survived by four exceptional children Carma (Gene), Edwin (Marni Colvin), Collin, and Kristen (Scott Miller), two outstanding grandchildren, Cameron and Emma, andsister Dorris.
Jan worked as a school librarian in Sutton’s Bay and Leland schools, at the University Education Library in Superior, Wisconsin, and LaTrobe University
Education Library-Laboratory at LaTrobe University, Bundoora, Australia. Later,
she was Director of the Charles A. Ransom District Library in Plainwell, Ml. for 21
years. She was awarded the Alice LeFevre Alumna Award in 1977 and the Michigan Librarian of the Year in 1983 by the Michigan Library Association.
She was one of the first women invited to join Rotary International, until then an all-maleorganization, in Plainwell in 1989 and was an active member of that and, after retiring, thePaw Paw Rotary Clubs. As a Rotary volunteer she traveled to Belize and Thailand to help with libraries.
She was co-founding mother of the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Grand Traverse,now a thriving church, and a longtime member of People’s Church, Kalamazoo.
A memorial service will be held February 10, 11:00am at People’s Church, 1758 N 10th St. Kalamazoo, MI 49009. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the People’s Church or Centrica Care Navigators hospice services provider.
Hers was a life well-lived.
January 19, 2024
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