Janice Anne Adams, 73, of The Villages, Florida, passed away on Saturday, August 29th, 2026, after a battle with aggressive lung cancer that metastasized to her spine.

A memorial reception will be held on Saturday, October 24th, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Villages Aviary Recreation Center (Eagle Room), 5748 Morse Blvd., The Villages, Florida 32163. Jan is survived by her daughter, Stephanie Gabel, of Ocala, Florida; grandson, Ronnie Gabel, of Urbana, Illinois; sister, Judy (Garry) Henthorn, of Champaign, Illinois; two nephews; one grand-nephew; one grand-niece; and one grand-cat. She was preceded in death by her parents, Francis “Frank” and Mary Etta (Wyrick) Adams; her eight beloved pugs: Marvie, Maggie, Sarge, Dixie, Daisy, Teddy, Choppy, and Juju; one grand-dog; and one grand-cat. Jan was born on January 24th, 1953, in Decatur, Illinois. She spent her youth in central Illinois before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Family Studies from Southern Illinois University. She then headed west to Arizona, where she earned a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. After graduating, she became a social worker at St. Joseph Hospital in Phoenix. While in Arizona, Jan began studying Spanish. Apparently, one master’s degree wasn’t enough, so she and her daughter moved to East Lansing, Michigan, where Jan earned a master’s degree in Spanish from Michigan State University. Among her proudest academic accomplishments were winning an award for her thesis, “Outcomes of Reunions Between Adult Adoptees and Their Birth Parents,” and receiving a Ph.D. scholarship to study Spanish at the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid, Spain. After earning her teaching certificate, Jan taught Spanish and Social Studies at several colleges, including the University of Minnesota Morris, Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois, and Marshalltown Community College in Iowa. As an associate professor, she developed educational workshops and served on numerous academic committees. She also developed programs and taught occupational Spanish to police officers, firefighters, paramedics, hospital personnel, and because no profession was safe from her enthusiasm for Spanish- even used-car salespeople. After retiring from college teaching, Jan became the Support Services Manager for the Heartland District of Youth for Understanding (YFU), a nonprofit foreign-exchange student organization. The position allowed her to communicate with people around the world and further fueled her lifelong passion for travel. After working at YFU, Jan kept busy as a substitute teacher. Her favorite schools at which to sub were Mahomet-Seymour High School in Illinois and The Villages Charter School in Florida. Travel was a major part of Jan’s life. She was constantly looking for a new place to go, something new to learn, or an experience she could tell you about later. She visited more than 24 countries, some of them multiple times. Jan’s sense of adventure extended well beyond travel. She loved the thrilling side of life, including skydiving, riding roller coasters, and shooting guns. She was a certified shooting and gun-safety instructor in both Illinois and Florida. She was not a mild wallflower. One of the biggest themes of Jan’s life was her love of pugs. In 2002, she adopted her first pug, Marvie, and from that day forward became a passionate champion for pug rescue. She fostered and transported countless pugs and, over the next 24 years, adopted seven more rescue pugs herself, many of them with special needs. After moving to Florida, Jan founded The Villages’ first pug appreciation group, “The Pug Grumble Club.” Through the club, Jan and its members supported pug rescue through fundraising and community events, including the annual “March of the Pugs” and costume contests. Jan was never one to miss an opportunity to appreciate a pug, and if necessary, organize an entire parade of them. Jan’s interests were as varied as her adventures. Over the years, she enjoyed square dancing, salsa dancing, quilting, sewing dog clothes, crocheting, painting ceramics, and gardening. She was delighted by collective nouns, college mascots, and the simple pleasure of floating on a noodle in the pool. Her favorite snacks included Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and frozen Snickers- a questionable dietary plan. Some of Jan’s favorite memories included traveling to Italy with her daughter, playing in a drum corps in Minnesota, singing with The Sweet Adelines in Illinois, and dancing as a zombie in the flash-mob production of Thriller in The Villages. One of Jan’s claims to fame was appearing in a Beltone hearing-aid commercial, where she enthusiastically extolled the company’s great work. This was particularly fitting given that some of her hearing loss was attributable to one of her favorite pastimes- shooting guns. Jan appreciated a good story, and she certainly knew how to provide one. Those who knew Jan were inspired by her seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm. She was decisive, bold, creative, inquisitive, fiercely independent, and never afraid to try something new. She was a loyal and supportive friend, deeply secure in her faith, and possessed a remarkable ability to turn an ordinary day into an adventure. Jan leaves behind a daughter who will miss her dearly, and a remarkable community of friends stretching across the globe. She will also leave behind a large and conspicuous absence at pug events, dance floors, classrooms, pools, and wherever else she happened to be making memories.

Jan lived a big life- with plenty of travel, learning, laughter, dogs, dancing, and adventure. Her only regret in life was having never ridden a two-humped camel. She did, however, ride a one-humped camel. In keeping with Jan’s lifelong commitment to helping pugs in need, memorial contributions may be made in her honor to Pug Rescue of Florida & Georgia at http://pugrescueflga.com/donate.