Janet Spanninger, 81

Janet E. (Detweiler) Spanninger of Copley, Ohio, passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimers on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. She was 81.

Born in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late Emerson and Elsie (Schwende) Detweiler. 

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Philip A. Spanninger; daughter, Krista S. Davis of Galena, Ohio, and her former spouse, James Davis Jr. of Akron, Ohio; son, P. Andrew Spanninger of South Bend, Indiana, daughter, Sara E. Hinst and her husband, Bruno Hinst of White River Junction, Vermont; and four grandchildren, Andrew Davis, Katie Davis, Gage Spanninger and Emerson Spanninger. 

A 1961 graduate of Pennridge High School, she went on to earn an associate’s degree in science from Fisher Junior College, in Boston, Massachusetts in 1963. Janet worked as a Medical Secretary for Merck, Sharp & Dohme in West Point, Pennsylvania.  After moving to Clemson, South Carolina, she worked for the Seneca Medical Clinic. She volunteered and served as President of the Bath Volunteers for Service in Akron, Ohio during the 1980’s. While living in Hong Kong, she was active with the Hong Kong Women’s Association. No task too great, Janet was a wonderful and gracious leader, making a difference in any community that she resided.

Janet Spanninger had a zest for life and a commitment to her family that rose above all other passions in her life, with her family knowing her love was endless even from thousands of miles away. 

An avid traveler with her husband Philip, she traveled to many countries and lived across the United States and world; in Clemson, South Carolina; Austin, Texas; Akron, Ohio; Hong Kong, China; Manchester, United Kingdom and Whitefish, before returning to where she and Philip raised their children, in the Akron area.

Never shying away from an adventure, Janet scuba dived in the Andaman Sea, Palau, Indonesia, Caribbean, Hawaii and the British Virgin Islands with her daughter Sara and husband Phil. Her love of the ocean and soaking up the sun rays led her to frequent travels with her family to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Many attribute some of her happiest days to reading a book at the beach, a trait that lives on through her daughter Krista. 

Another great love of her life was skiing. After learning how to ski as a teenager with her parents in New England, Janet spent most of her adult life skiing with her family and friends between Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville, New York and Whitefish Mountain Resort in Whitefish, where she and Philip lived in their later years. Further afield, her and Philip skied in South Korea, Japan and New Zealand. With a particular penchant for driving with her ski boots on, it can be safely said that Janet lived a significant portion of her life with ski boots on, skiing with her loved ones in the glades and bluebird skies before enjoying family time at the lodge or house after a day well spent. Her spirit and love has been passed down through the generations, with her entire family matching her passion for skiing. 

There are not enough words to share how big Janet’s life was, and how many people loved her. Her essence cannot be distilled into these paragraphs, but her loved ones will remember her zany whistling, candid humor, passion for shopping, and boundless love for her family and husband. 

Her funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Suess-Gahman Funeral Home and Crematory, 606 Arch St., Perkasie, PA. Interment will follow in St. Stephen’s U.C.C. Cemetery, in Perkasie, PA. A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Akron.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to BrightFocus Foundation for Alzheimer’s Research, 22512 Gateway Center Dr., Clarksburg, MD, 20871 or www.brightfocus.org.