Official Obituary of
Melinda Dianne (Sullivan) Janoe
December 26, 1965 ~ March 8, 2024 (age 58) 58 Years Old
Melinda Janoe Obituary
Melinda Dianne Janoe, age 58, of Soper, Oklahoma, passed away on March 8, 2024, surrounded by the love of her family. Born in Hurst, Texas on December 26, 1965, to LD and the late Sandra (Smith) Sullivan, Melinda was a beacon of light and joy to all who knew her.
Melinda leaves behind a legacy of true love, courage, bravery, and selflessness. She cared for her family and friends as though her life depended on it. Very early on she made up her mind about what she wanted out of her life here on Earth. Melinda often stated that all she ever wanted was to be a wife and a mother. She held high moral values when it came to how she lived, and this positively impacted her role as an amazing wife to Terry and a mother to Mark, Mandy, and Mylaine. She did an amazing job raising her children and instilling her core values in them, so they could carry a piece of her with them into their own lives. Anyone who knew Melinda would tell you that she would drop everything she was doing to help anyone in any way she could. She was just that type of person. She loved having people depend on her. It gave her a sense of joy to be someone people could trust. Melinda had a thread of providing for others that was woven through every characteristic she possessed, creating a firm foundation for who she was. Melinda was a provider at heart.
While the attributes that carried Melinda successfully through her life are commendable, they don't even begin to describe who she was completely. She had a love of many things. She loved to plant a large garden which yielded enough vegetables to feed many people, and she found joy in being able to bless people with her produce. She took pride in her garden. It yielded a bountiful crop, and she loved showing it off to those who were interested in walking up and down each row with her. For many many years, Melinda enjoyed walking through the tedious process of transforming her garden vegetables into canned jars of food that would feed her family throughout the rest of the year. Melinda found great happiness in having a full canning room. Having a surplus of vegetables straight from her garden and transferring them into each jar with love gave her a sense of security because she knew her family had great food to enjoy. Melinda had extensive knowledge of how to can many different things, and that skill was admired by many. She was willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn because she believed that being able to provide for herself was important.
Her love for food does not stop there. Melinda loved cooking huge meals and spending time with her loved ones as they sat around the table to eat. She always said, "You know everybody is eating because it is quiet and nobody is talking." She loved nothing more than watching someone enjoy her cooking, and it is something she took great pride in. If you sat at her table you better come with some gumption to eat like you meant it because she didn't like anyone picking around at their plate. The worst thing you could have done is eat before coming to her house or ask for ketchup to go with your meal. She has many coined terms, one of them being, "If you need ketchup to eat it then it ain't worth eating." She knew that she didn't cook food that needed ketchup, so asking for it was an insult to her.
Not only was she a great cook, but she was a phenomenal baker. She loved to make pies, puddings, and cakes. Melinda loved to bring people their favorite pie during times of need or just because. She knew most people's favorite pie, whether it was Coconut Cream, Raisin, Lemon, Chocolate, or Pecan. She had meringue perfected and loved to make homemade crusts. Melinda was blessed by giving and loved to give things that money could not buy. Money could not buy her cooking or pies that were full of love. She often said that love is the secret ingredient to everything. It is obvious, looking back on Melinda's legacy that she wasn't just talking about the cooking, but she was also talking about the secret ingredient to life.
As a provider at her core, Melinda found an immense amount of happiness when she was able to obtain her CDL license. She drove trucks earlier in her life and returned to that occupation in later years. It was something that filled her life with an added layer of purpose. She loved that she possessed the ability to make money, and it gave her an irreplaceable sense of happiness. She loved driving her dump truck.
Her abilities do not stop there. Melinda had a God-given talent for sewing. If you have ever had the pleasure of setting your eyes upon one of her exquisite quilts or owning one, you would understand just how talented she was. Within her hands, she held the ability to do so many things. She was an admirable woman with so many talents and beautiful traits that made her who she was.
She raised her children to understand that they must be self-sufficient. She knew the security that she felt every day because at the core of Melinda, in the very marrow of who she was, she was self-sufficient in all ways.
While her life was filled with many things she was great at, the two most important ones were being a wife and a mother. Melinda lived to be a wife to her loving husband. She stood for the old-school ways of living when it came to being a wife. She stood for the tradition of eating at the supper table at every meal. The bonus to being a mother is that it would lead to her becoming a grandmother. Her grandchildren fondly refer to her as GeeGee, and out of all the things she was, that may have secretly been her favorite. She loved her grandchildren with every fiber of her being, and she would have done anything for them. A beautiful treasure that each of her four grandchildren will carry with them for the rest of their lives is that she was able to take care of them until they were able to start school. She was honored and was so thankful to have such valuable time with them while they were young. Rocking those babies while they sucked their bottles was her favorite pastime right along with giving them all the candy, pop, and popsicles they could possibly want. There was an understanding that GeeGee's house had GeeGee's rules. As her grandchildren grew, she enjoyed taking them on tractor rides to gopher plow, spray, and put out hay. There wasn't anything out there that she could not do with a grandbaby by her side. She took pride in having a nice and tidy freshly cut yard so she could sit on the front porch and watch them play. Evenings and sunsets were her favorite right along with those big beautiful full moons. She or Mylaine would rush to the phone to call one another to say, "GO LOOK AT THE MOON!"
We can look back on Melinda's life and know for certain that she stood at the forefront of enjoying life and getting the most out of each day and the time she was given. Melinda is loved by so many people and her love for others runs so deep that even though she is gone, her love will remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.
She married the love of her life, Terry Janoe, on March 26, 1982, in Paris, Texas. Together they shared a life full of laughter, love, and devotion. Melinda was a cherished wife, a beloved mother, and a doting grandmother, whose nurturing instinct touched not only her own family but also all the friends who became family through the years.
Melinda is lovingly remembered by her husband, Terry Janoe of the home; her children, Mark Janoe of Antlers, Oklahoma, and Mylaine Self, and her husband, Morgan, of Soper, Oklahoma. Her legacy also extends through her daughter in love, Holly Hill of Spencerville, Oklahoma. Her father, LD Sullivan of Antlers, Oklahoma; her brother, Justin Sullivan and wife Casey of Greenwood, Louisiana; her sisters, Loretta Motley and husband Mike of Jefferson, Texas, and Pamela Self of Antlers, Oklahoma; and her grandchildren, Markie, and Jett Janoe of Spencerville, Oklahoma, and Rodie and Sissy (Rory) Self of Soper, Oklahoma, will all treasure their memories of her. Melinda was preceded in death by her dear mother, Sandra Sullivan, and her daughter, Mandy Janoe.
A celebration of life for Melinda will be held 2 PM Wednesday March 13, 2024 at Archey Baptist Church in Soper, Oklahoma with Brent Franks officiating.
Pallbearers will be Terry Janoe, Jonathan Hooker, Morgan Self, Gary Daniel, Chris Janoe, Dillon Hooker, Mike Motley and Justin Sullivan.
Services are under the direction of Serenity Funeral Service in Antlers, Oklahoma.
Melinda leaves behind a legacy of true love, courage, bravery, and selflessness. She cared for her family and friends as though her life depended on it. Very early on she made up her mind about what she wanted out of her life here on Earth. Melinda often stated that all she ever wanted was to be a wife and a mother. She held high moral values when it came to how she lived, and this positively impacted her role as an amazing wife to Terry and a mother to Mark, Mandy, and Mylaine. She did an amazing job raising her children and instilling her core values in them, so they could carry a piece of her with them into their own lives. Anyone who knew Melinda would tell you that she would drop everything she was doing to help anyone in any way she could. She was just that type of person. She loved having people depend on her. It gave her a sense of joy to be someone people could trust. Melinda had a thread of providing for others that was woven through every characteristic she possessed, creating a firm foundation for who she was. Melinda was a provider at heart.
While the attributes that carried Melinda successfully through her life are commendable, they don't even begin to describe who she was completely. She had a love of many things. She loved to plant a large garden which yielded enough vegetables to feed many people, and she found joy in being able to bless people with her produce. She took pride in her garden. It yielded a bountiful crop, and she loved showing it off to those who were interested in walking up and down each row with her. For many many years, Melinda enjoyed walking through the tedious process of transforming her garden vegetables into canned jars of food that would feed her family throughout the rest of the year. Melinda found great happiness in having a full canning room. Having a surplus of vegetables straight from her garden and transferring them into each jar with love gave her a sense of security because she knew her family had great food to enjoy. Melinda had extensive knowledge of how to can many different things, and that skill was admired by many. She was willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn because she believed that being able to provide for herself was important.
Her love for food does not stop there. Melinda loved cooking huge meals and spending time with her loved ones as they sat around the table to eat. She always said, "You know everybody is eating because it is quiet and nobody is talking." She loved nothing more than watching someone enjoy her cooking, and it is something she took great pride in. If you sat at her table you better come with some gumption to eat like you meant it because she didn't like anyone picking around at their plate. The worst thing you could have done is eat before coming to her house or ask for ketchup to go with your meal. She has many coined terms, one of them being, "If you need ketchup to eat it then it ain't worth eating." She knew that she didn't cook food that needed ketchup, so asking for it was an insult to her.
Not only was she a great cook, but she was a phenomenal baker. She loved to make pies, puddings, and cakes. Melinda loved to bring people their favorite pie during times of need or just because. She knew most people's favorite pie, whether it was Coconut Cream, Raisin, Lemon, Chocolate, or Pecan. She had meringue perfected and loved to make homemade crusts. Melinda was blessed by giving and loved to give things that money could not buy. Money could not buy her cooking or pies that were full of love. She often said that love is the secret ingredient to everything. It is obvious, looking back on Melinda's legacy that she wasn't just talking about the cooking, but she was also talking about the secret ingredient to life.
As a provider at her core, Melinda found an immense amount of happiness when she was able to obtain her CDL license. She drove trucks earlier in her life and returned to that occupation in later years. It was something that filled her life with an added layer of purpose. She loved that she possessed the ability to make money, and it gave her an irreplaceable sense of happiness. She loved driving her dump truck.
Her abilities do not stop there. Melinda had a God-given talent for sewing. If you have ever had the pleasure of setting your eyes upon one of her exquisite quilts or owning one, you would understand just how talented she was. Within her hands, she held the ability to do so many things. She was an admirable woman with so many talents and beautiful traits that made her who she was.
She raised her children to understand that they must be self-sufficient. She knew the security that she felt every day because at the core of Melinda, in the very marrow of who she was, she was self-sufficient in all ways.
While her life was filled with many things she was great at, the two most important ones were being a wife and a mother. Melinda lived to be a wife to her loving husband. She stood for the old-school ways of living when it came to being a wife. She stood for the tradition of eating at the supper table at every meal. The bonus to being a mother is that it would lead to her becoming a grandmother. Her grandchildren fondly refer to her as GeeGee, and out of all the things she was, that may have secretly been her favorite. She loved her grandchildren with every fiber of her being, and she would have done anything for them. A beautiful treasure that each of her four grandchildren will carry with them for the rest of their lives is that she was able to take care of them until they were able to start school. She was honored and was so thankful to have such valuable time with them while they were young. Rocking those babies while they sucked their bottles was her favorite pastime right along with giving them all the candy, pop, and popsicles they could possibly want. There was an understanding that GeeGee's house had GeeGee's rules. As her grandchildren grew, she enjoyed taking them on tractor rides to gopher plow, spray, and put out hay. There wasn't anything out there that she could not do with a grandbaby by her side. She took pride in having a nice and tidy freshly cut yard so she could sit on the front porch and watch them play. Evenings and sunsets were her favorite right along with those big beautiful full moons. She or Mylaine would rush to the phone to call one another to say, "GO LOOK AT THE MOON!"
We can look back on Melinda's life and know for certain that she stood at the forefront of enjoying life and getting the most out of each day and the time she was given. Melinda is loved by so many people and her love for others runs so deep that even though she is gone, her love will remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.
She married the love of her life, Terry Janoe, on March 26, 1982, in Paris, Texas. Together they shared a life full of laughter, love, and devotion. Melinda was a cherished wife, a beloved mother, and a doting grandmother, whose nurturing instinct touched not only her own family but also all the friends who became family through the years.
Melinda is lovingly remembered by her husband, Terry Janoe of the home; her children, Mark Janoe of Antlers, Oklahoma, and Mylaine Self, and her husband, Morgan, of Soper, Oklahoma. Her legacy also extends through her daughter in love, Holly Hill of Spencerville, Oklahoma. Her father, LD Sullivan of Antlers, Oklahoma; her brother, Justin Sullivan and wife Casey of Greenwood, Louisiana; her sisters, Loretta Motley and husband Mike of Jefferson, Texas, and Pamela Self of Antlers, Oklahoma; and her grandchildren, Markie, and Jett Janoe of Spencerville, Oklahoma, and Rodie and Sissy (Rory) Self of Soper, Oklahoma, will all treasure their memories of her. Melinda was preceded in death by her dear mother, Sandra Sullivan, and her daughter, Mandy Janoe.
A celebration of life for Melinda will be held 2 PM Wednesday March 13, 2024 at Archey Baptist Church in Soper, Oklahoma with Brent Franks officiating.
Pallbearers will be Terry Janoe, Jonathan Hooker, Morgan Self, Gary Daniel, Chris Janoe, Dillon Hooker, Mike Motley and Justin Sullivan.
Services are under the direction of Serenity Funeral Service in Antlers, Oklahoma.
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