Jan L. Brinkerhoff Scofield
July 17, 1938 – May 17, 2020
Jan has left us for a while, but the memory of her loving, cheerful smile remains with all who knew her.
She wore her smile as a badge of courage as she struggled bravely with declining health from Vascular Parkinsonism and cancer before passing on May 17, 2020, to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We all can look forward to seeing her and her smile again when we join her in heaven.
Jan was born in San Antonio on July 17, 1938, the daughter of Cornelia and Ira Brinkerhoff. She grew up in Houston, where she graduated from Lamar High School. She then attended Mount Vernon Junior College in Georgetown before enrolling at the University of Texas-Austin to major it journalism. It was there, working on the Daily Texan school newspaper, that she met her husband, Barney (Bernard A.).
Upon graduation they went to work for competing newspapers, Jan The Houston Post and Barney The Houston Press. The competition did nothing to cool their relationship, however. They were married February 11, 1961. Son Christopher was born almost two years later and not many months after that the family moved to San Diego where Barney joined General Dynamics Astronautics and son Robert was born. Daughter Emilia was born in Seattle while Barney was at Boeing. The family moved to the Akron area when Barney joined Goodyear and Goodyear Aerospace in 1971.
It was in Seattle and Akron that Jan found her true calling, first as a theme reader for the Seattle public school system and then as a high school English teacher at Barberton High School. She loved her students and she loved teaching. Working as faculty advisor for the school yearbook and newspaper was pure pleasure for her. From her first year at BHS to the last, her yearbook picture hardly changed, just a little more gray hair to go along with that great big beautiful smile.
Jan is survived by her beloved husband, Barney; sons and their wives, Christopher and Sheryl, Oxnard, CA, and Robert and Nichole, Potomac, MD; daughter, Emilia, Chicago, IL; grandchildren, Thien, Sabrina, James and Samantha; sister, Keith Callaway, New Braunfels, TX, and Keith's daughter, Coe VanderZee, Austin. All of whom brought her great joy.
The family would especially like to thank Mary Lich and her daughter Kristy Zwisler for their kindness and devotion to Jan. We are grateful for their support and consider them as members of our family.
We also send Jan's love and gratitude to all of the kind friends she made down through the years, to the residents and staff of Brookdale Montrose for their kindness and care, to Sheila Hutzler, our beloved Catholic Lay Minister, and her husband John, and to all the nurses, doctors and staff of the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Hospice who brought her so much comfort.
Private burial services will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery with Fr. Steve Brunovsky, pastor of St. Hilary Catholic Church officiating. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Akron Christ Child Society at http://www.nationalchristchild.org/donate/ or St. Hilary Parish at https://membership.faithdirect.net/FD247
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