Janice passed away at home on the morning of August 17, 2024; survived by loving husband, Eugene, and sons, Christopher and Ross. She was 86 years old, born on February 14, 1938 in London England to parents William and Dorothy (Roberts) McAvilley, the 5th of seven children. The family lived in Holland Park on the western edge of central London, where Jan was a toddler during World War II.
Jan was a bright youngster whose curiosity, at the age of 6, led her to enrichment at libraries and museums throughout London. In early school, she was named ‘top girl’, skipped a few grades and was student at an elite girls’ school where she passed the A-level exam. Her education was interrupted by family problems caused by the senseless war.
She became an emancipated minor, responsible for two younger siblings.When Jan was 21 years old, she emigrated to America, in search of educational access and career opportunities. She completed the GED and was soon taking classes at Boston University.
During a summer vacation on Cape Cod with her host family in 1960, she met her future husband, Eugene. They married in 1961 and moved to California where both would earn degrees at UC Berkeley. While Jan earned transfer credits at Contra Costa College, Gene was beginning graduate study.
Jan was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree with honors and Gene received his PhD. They then re-located to Pittsburgh, PA where Jan was working at Children’s Hospital while Gene was doing postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh (PA) medical school. Based on a study of infant abuse, Jan earned a Master’s Degree in public health administration.
Returning to California in 1970 and settling in Santa Cruz, Jan worked at UC Santa Cruz Extension, learned every aspect of adult education and rose from Registrar to Dean. Her leadership took a small self- support function to a major presence in Silicon valley, offering post- graduate programs in education, business, science and technology.Jan had leadership roles in the Santa Cruz Business & Professional Women’s Club and the University Women’s Club.
She and Gene were volunteers with the Make-a-Wish Foundation for 20 years and were active with several local charities. Jan guided major scholarship funding from BPW to UCSC and she created a family endowment at Cabrillo College for STEM student scholarships. She was very proud of her connections with both UCSC and Cabrillo Foundations.
She was always grateful for her own good fortune in getting an education and she was giving back/paying forward.Jan’s passions were reading, classical music, gardening and word games. Since a very early age, she was a voracious reader and, most recently, preferred biographies of historically important people and essays about World War II London.
She was introduced to classical music at her first job at a London record store and, for years, listened daily to classical radio.. She loved Mozart and was excited to visit his birthplace in Salzburg Austria.
Since her retirement, she devoted time to creating her dream garden, with zones of flourishing growth and quiet beauty. Her favorite plants were roses and they produced amazing blooms for her. She always liked the challenge of crossword puzzles, ciphers, anagrams and word generators.
The vast collection of songs, poems, quotes and factoids in her memory was awesome. She often scored ‘genius’ on Brain Circle.Jan loved to travel.
Over the years, there would be seven trips with Gene to England and Europe, including time in London, Paris, Rome, Venice and the Lake Country of England. One of her favorite places was Butchart Gardens in Victoria Canada. With Gene, she enjoyed cruises to Alaska, Mexico and through the Panama Canal; and tours of the great national parks of America.
And, they motored five times back and forth across America, seeing every state and all of its various natural and cultural landscapes. She was a Brit by birth but was totally acculturated to this country. She loved America; it gave her a future and she gave back generously and proudly.
Yet, she left this Santa Cruz paradise to the music of ‘There will always be an England’.Fifteen months ago, Jan was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. New generation immunotherapy controlled it, until a second type of cancer was detected, making further treatment infeasible.
One of Jan’s last wishes was to ask that other supporters of education, like herself, please make a modest donation to the Corriden family endowment at Cabrillo College Foundation: Eileen Hill, Executive Director, 831-479-6338; foundation.cabrillo.edu to donate online (enter “in memory of Jan Corriden” in the Notes section).
Honor with Flowers In memory of Janice Valentine Plant a Living Memorial In memory of Janice Valentine.
