Obituary of Janet Sue Lathrop

Janet S. Lathrop of East Peoria, IL passed away on July 3, 2021 at the age of 80 at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Janet is survived by her husband Virgil; her children Neal (Kelly) Lathrop and Jay Lathrop; her grandchildren Brandy, Aubrey, and Grant; and her step grandchildren Cody, KeneDi, and Brinlee. She was preceded in death by her parents Charlie and Bernice Warren of Wayne City and her brother was Nolan Warren. She was born on April 25, 1941 in Wayne City. Janet and Virgil married on June 5, 1965. All throughout her life, Janet was a firm believer in the power of a great education and worked as a teacher at J L Hensey Elementary School in Sunnyland. She worked in District 86 until retirement, always working for the betterment of children’s lives. Even after retirement, her learning did not cease. Janet could always be found with a book in hand, and she found the time to donate many books from her own collection to others. In addition to bettering the mind through literature, Janet also worked to better the soul through gardening. Her and her husband Virgil maintained beautiful gardens together in their backyard, growing vegetables and giving them to neighbors and loved ones. Janet took special care of the delicate flowers surrounding the house, keeping them pruned and protected. Her and Virgil would spend many nights on their back porch together at sunset, drinking tea and watching for any animals by the treeline. Janet also spent a lot of time by the water, fishing alongside family and friends. Most importantly, Janet loved to spend time with her family. Not only did she serve as a mother, grandmother and teacher, she also served as the family seamstress and barber. Most notably, however, she always had the best recipes to bring everyone together around the table. Passing up a slice of her Texas sheet cake is unheard of in the family. She will be dearly missed. A celebration of life will be held on July 24, 2021 at UAW Local 974 on Springfield Road in East Peoria from 2:00-5:00 P.M. Memorial donations can be made online to the Gift of Hope. Cremation Specialists of Illinois is assisting the family. Online condolences may be left at www.csofil.com.