Obituary for Mary Burnette Janey

Mary Burnette  Janey
Mary Burnette Janey, 89, of Salem, quietly passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2017, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Her final days were spent surrounded by her family. Her family is especially grateful for the tender attention Mary received by her physician, Dr. Kathy Barnhill and her longtime caregivers, Velda Marie Jones and Tiffany Pettus.

Mary was born on Sunday, July 31, 1927, in Austinville, Va. to the late Fred and Claire Burnette. Her father was a self-taught engineer for Celanese in Pulaski, Va. and her mother was a teacher turned full time homemaker after the birth of her five children.

Mary was a long time resident of Salem and a member of Roanoke’s First Baptist Church for 24 years. She graduated from Pulaski High School in 1944 and began working at a time when women made up less than 30% of the workforce and “Rosie the Riverter” had become an American icon during World War II. Mary met every challenge head on. She completed medical training in Wytheville, Va. where she worked as a nurse until making a career change as a Lab Technician for Radford Arsenal. Mary also became a licensed beautician and worked in a salon for a few years until she finally settled into being the Rental Property Manager at Mountain View Estates in Clifton Forge and the Ruxton Apartments in Danville before working at Ramey’s Mobile Home Park where she worked for eighteen years. In 2002, she retired and moved in with her devoted son and primary caregiver, Jeffery, in Salem where she remained until she passed.

Mary was young at heart and lived her life to the fullest. At the age of 75, she could still be seen driving around Salem in her red Firebird, sporting a nice pair of Ray-Bans and a good gospel or country song playing on her car stereo. Mary took great care when it came to her appearance. She never left the house without her hair styled, nails manicured, and accessorized to the hilt. She was a regular fashionista! She enjoyed getting dressed up and going out to a nice restaurant and especially loved her vanilla ice cream desserts. When it came to her vacations, she loved being around water. Her favorite destinations included Smith Mountain Lake and Myrtle Beach. But most of all, Mary loved to spend time with her family and friends. She cherished the memories of any event that brought her family together.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur “Buck” Janey; her sister, Pauline Rowland; her brother, Guy Burnette; her daughter, Marguerite Shumate; and lifelong friend, Nina Franklin.

Mary is survived by two brothers, Harry Burnette and his wife, Claire, and Jerry Burnette; and several beloved nieces and nephews. Mary is also survived by four of her five children which includes her daughter, Dianne Fluty and her husband, Ron, her daughter, Judith Emery and her husband, Ralph, her son, Fred Stanley and his wife, Gina, her son, Jeff Stanley, and her son-in-law, Marguerite’s surviving husband, Robert Shumate; and grandchildren, Lori Anderson and her husband, Michael, and Leigh Ann Atkins and her husband, Chris, David and Joey Emery, Nichol Shumate, and Brandy Duncan and her husband, Blake. Mary was also blessed with six great-grandchildren, Caitlin, Jacob, Braxton, Sophia, Joshua, and Jackson. Mary is also survived by two lifelong friends, Nora Belle Owens and Myrtle Macnew.

Visitation for friends and family is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, in the John M. Oakey & Son Chapel in Salem. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on the following day, Thursday, April 13, 2017, also in the chapel, with Pastor Richard Kingrea officiating. Mary will be laid to rest at 2 p.m. at Highland Memory Gardens in Dublin next to her parents.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Virginia. Online condolences may be expressed at www.johnmoakey.com.
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