Jan!

Her Story

With raw disbelief and great sadness, we share that Janet Ann Sillik - our 'Miss Jan, Aunt Jan, Grandma Jan, Mom' - passed away on July 7, 2026, after a brief hospitalization.   
Jan was born in Jacksonville, Florida on September 10, 1943, the daughter of Evelyn Florida Davis Jones and Robert Edward Jones. Lifetime resident of Jacksonville, she graduated from Baldwin High School where she was a cheerleader who graduated at 16 and went on to Stetson University in Deland. 
Jan was an active member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and continued her worship at Christ Church in Jacksonville. Many beyond Jacksonville will remember Jan as a devoted member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, serving as its President from 2011 to 2013. She enjoyed great food and was a champion at organizing/delegating for large events. 
Anyone who knew her will remember her as a rare spirit, with a zeal and passion for family, strong friendships and good conversation. Jan was joy! Light! Flowers! Miss Jan loved deeply and loyally and believed passionately in the enduring love of family. Her friends and family will know that she was devoted to her son Chris and his wife Inna, and she adored her grandchildren. She was a faithful servant of the Lord and devoted to living a life of faith. 
Our Jan also had a loving circle of close friends who were valuable support to her throughout her life. Because of her extensive background as copywriter, editor and writer, and as a lover of her trove of inherited stories and customs, she could speak either eloquently or adopt the rhythm and idioms of her past, most especially when retelling some story from her or her family. She made friends easily, making even the newly-met a sudden extended family.  
She loved her home and living on the land her father had developed a built a house on. She loved being around her sculptural artifacts from her time with floral design and her stacks of books accumulated over the years. 
She was also a collector of family memories and all manner of items that triggered an artistic or memorable inspiration. She was a master of floristry design, an avid reader especially of non-fiction because she burned for knowledge and understanding a full picture. There were so many books in her house, they could have been used for furniture! She was a frequent visitor to the public library and a lover of the spoken story, traveling miles and miles yearly to take in the best storytellers in the country, forever longing for the warmth of a story around a log-burning stove. 
She was a huge presence and had a larger-than-life personality, even as she regaled us on the last day of her life with a story she told about the Meyers-Briggs evaluation that had labeled her an “I”: an Introvert. Sher even joked about her “Dollies.” We can’t talk about that here, but ask us sometime. 
She is at peace now, resting in the arms of her mom and dad, a host of West Florida relatives, Ain’ts (Aunts), Cuddins (Cousins), and a whole “passel” of Joneses and Davises from tiny Alpha, all the way to Fernandina Beach, (and particularly Amelia Island) Florida. 
Jan lives on through her son Chris Dickson, her daughter-in-law Inna Dickson; the radiant smile of her grandchild Amelia, the mischievous humor and spirit in Leo and Bruno Dickson; and in her sister-law Jackie Jones, niece Amity Jones, nephews Adam and Ron Jones (Marie) and great nieces Evelyn and Elaina. 
A funeral will be held on August 2, at 2 p.m., Christ Church on 103rd Street on Jacksonville’s Westside. We would welcome you there to celebrate the life of Jan Sillik and share some warm memories and healing.  
And in the meantime, if you have memories and photos you’d like to share here, we invite you to do that or email us to include files and give us permission to post. We are hopeful you will be able to help us document her presence in all our lives. 

Celebrate Jan!

Jan's Celebration of Life service is Sunday, August 2nd, 2:00pm at Christ Church Anglican on 103rd St, Jacksonville. The Garden Club of Jacksonville on Riverside Ave is hosting a Reception at 5:00pm. All are welcome to join family and friends at the service and reception. FMI contact the Church or Garden Club.

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