Janet Ruth Small

Janet Small, 82, died February 21 in Bellingham.

Born March 12, 1943, in Maysville, Kentucky, to the Rev. William C. and Arline Schnute, Jan was raised in greater Los Angeles with her younger sister and brother. She studied at various institutions including California State University at Long Beach, where she met ceramics instructor Bill Quirt. They married in 1966.

The couple enjoyed a free and nomadic artists’ existence and started their family in Southern California. With their two daughters, they experienced life throughout the American West, from San Francisco to northwest Montana, before finally settling in Bellingham in the 1990s.

Widowed in 1999, Jan began a fresh chapter with her second husband, Bellingham native Richard Small. She indulged new aspirations and explored new directions, among them pursuing a rekindled love of cooking through the culinary arts program at Bellingham Technical College, where she earned her certificate in baking. She enjoyed traveling, entertaining at home, and joining Richard in his passion for amateur radio. Jan loved to regale their regional network at the group’s daily check-in with news of her latest adventures with Richard and updates on her children’s lives.

Jan nursed Richard through a long illness and, following his death in 2015, she embraced her cherished independence and enjoyed the company of friends old and new, including Steve Hager of Fairhaven. Throughout life, she met each stage with optimism and self-assurance. Her personal motto was "Don’t look back."

Jan is survived by her daughter Tina and son-in-law Bob of Cleveland; daughter Sheri of Seattle; granddaughter Laurel of Asheville, North Carolina; and sister Jeanne of Long Beach, California.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to the team at PeaceHealth Whatcom Hospice House for their extraordinary care and compassion, which helped make Jan's final days peaceful.