Janet Jutras Cobb

Janet Jutras Cobb-loving, enthusiastic, and spirited wife, mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt, neighbor, and friend-died on May 12, 2026, surrounded by her husband Bill and their children. She was 80 years old.

A collector of knick-knacks, Christmas ornaments, and people, Jan's life was vibrant and colorful. She loved delis and diners, margaritas and Mexican food, and animals of all kinds. Most of all, she loved her family.

Jan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 25, 1945, to Celina LaPierre and Gerard Jutras. Jan was an excellent student with a contagious laugh, and she and her older brother Jerry were lucky to grow up near extended family, with whom they enjoyed regular Sunday dinners. Jan's close relationships with her grandparents, her Aunt Gert, and her beloved cousin Claire (her "sister from another mother") offered her stability, warmth, and abiding love.

Throughout her life, Jan was self-effacing, opinionated, funny, and generous, and her interest in the world and in others created a magnetism that was hard to resist. Jan never met a stranger, and this served her well as she moved from California to Falls Church, Virginia, and took a job with a trade association. While traveling to Atlanta for work in September of 1974, Jan went on a blind date with Bill Cobb, a handsome consultant with Kurt Salmon Associates, and Jan's charm and beauty immediately won him over. Over the next few weeks and months, Bill and Jan had an intense courtship with frequent visits by both to D.C. and Atlanta. It was during this time that Jan got to know and love Bill's son, six-year-old John Cobb. Bill, Jan, and John became a lively and close-knit trio, and Bill soon proposed to Jan on the top of Stone Mountain; they were married a few months later, on January 4, 1975. Last year, they celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Life took on a new shape for Jan when she moved to Atlanta and became the primary caregiver to John while Bill traveled for work. Jan quickly and joyfully became one of John's biggest supporters and cheerleaders, a role she loved and held throughout her life. With the births of James in 1977 and Julie in 1980, the family of three became five and Jan leaned fully into caring for her family and their home on Angus Trail, where they were surrounded by dear neighbors and friends.

As her children grew older, Jan began working as a bank teller for Wachovia, where her natural warmth and engaging personality made her a favorite of her co-workers and customers. She joined P.E.O. International and became part of a sisterhood that educates, supports, and celebrates women. When Bill retired in 1999, the two of them spent time traveling to Italy, Canada, and across the United States, riding motorcycles, playing bridge, and visiting with friends and family. Jan's tenacity helped her fight her way through breast cancer in 2010 and through various health challenges as she grew older; thankfully, through each challenge, she never lost her feistiness, goofiness, or her ability to laugh.

Throughout her life, Jan prioritized and cultivated human connections. She worked hard to stay in touch with family and friends near and far, and she became a steady source of warmth, love, and acceptance for those in her orbit. As the Cobb family grew and changed over the years, Jan poured her spice, energy, and love into each of her children, their spouses, and eventually her grandchildren. Becoming a grandmother brought Jan a joy like no other, and it gave her the role and the title she loved best-Gramma Jan. She attended countless games, matches, meets, and ceremonies for all of her grandchildren, and she took a deep and abiding interest in everything they cared about. She showered each of them with love and was their biggest fan.

Jan was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Jerry, and she is survived by her biggest fans: her loving husband Bill; her children John Cobb (Sharon Cobb), James Cobb (Gretchen D'Huyvetter Cobb), and Julie Cobb Fields (Daniel Fields); her grandchildren Chace Cobb (Katja Cobb); Abigail Cobb Massey (Adam Massey); Ian, Andrew, Oliver, and Everett D'Huyvetter Cobb; and Izabella and Adeline Fields; by her dear cousin Claire Slinko; and by many beloved in-laws, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A service of remembrance and thanksgiving will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th, 2026, at the Park Springs community, located at 500 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30087.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Janet Jutras Cobb Memorial Fund of the P.E.O. Foundation. Online donations can be made at: https://peo-portal.com/donations?step=0. Checks should be made payable to the "Janet Jutras Cobb Memorial Fund" and sent to: P.E.O. Executive Office, Treasurer's Dept., 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312.