Janet Oberg Gill

Janet was born October 16, 1930, in Salt Lake City to Helen Murdoch and Seth M. Oberg, Sr., the oldest of five children.  She graduated from East High School and the University of Utah, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority and the Chi Delta Phi Honorary Literary Sorority.

In October 1957, Janet married Gordon L. Gill, and they reared six children in Centerville, Utah.  As a mother, she was very attentive to her children’s needs.  Hardly a month went by that she wasn’t running one or another of her kids to the doctor’s office or attending the bedside of a sick child with that magical potion…Jell-O water! (That was almost worth getting sick for!)

She was ahead of her time in matters of nutrition.  When her daughter Natalie developed diabetes at the age of three, Janet was all-in on her care, doing a lot of research (in the early 1970’s before the internet), going above and beyond in altering the family’s eating habits, and working with specialists to ensure Natalie would live the longest and healthiest life possible!

Another healthy endeavor she undertook was the summertime bottling and drying of the fruit that was plentiful in her yard.  She rounded up her free workforce (her children) and had them prepare peaches, apricots, cherries, blackberries, pears, and apples resulting in hundreds of bottles of fruity deliciousness (all sugar-free of course).  It was an all-you-can-eat situation, which often resulted in a bottle of Kaopectate on the dinner table.

Janet insisted all six children learn to play a stringed instrument, and she sacrificed to pay for lessons and instruments.  She exposed them to classical music, included neighbors in a family chamber music group, and attended many recitals and performances of her children.

She enjoyed the simple things in life like a drive to see the autumn leaves, a fish sandwich from Porky’s drive-in, her own mix of low-calorie blender cocoa, and anything lemony.

Janet had an unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and served in many Church callings including full-time missions to the West Central States Mission (1954-1955) and the Tennessee Knoxville Mission (1993-1994), as well as several part-time Church-service missions in the Family History Mission in Salt Lake City (2005-2014).

One of her biggest pleasures in life was genealogy.  Janet spent decades researching names, writing family histories, receiving advanced training, volunteering at the genealogy library, and doing temple work for ancestors.  She loved nothing more than a captive audience hearing all about her discoveries.  She could be seen boarding the UTA bus several days a week heading to the Church Archives where she served nine years as a missionary.

Janet had a strong belief in eternal life and is no doubt having glorious reunions with her close family and all the many relatives she spent years researching.  Let’s hope everyone wears a nametag!

By example, Janet showed that one person can make a difference.  Over the years, she was a tireless educator, contributor, and donor for diabetes and ADHD research, National Right to Life, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, political causes, and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (being a miraculous survivor of a drunk driver/pedestrian accident herself in 1986).

As her children became independent, she pursued a master’s degree in special education and worked briefly in Davis County schools.  Soon after, she found her niche providing customer service at the J.C. Penney call center in Bountiful for over ten years, where she was recognized for her attention to detail and skill with conflict resolution.

Though admittedly shy, Janet always had a few, treasured friends, who made a huge difference in her life!  She also enjoyed the company of several dogs and cats.

Unfortunately, Janet developed Alzheimer’s and suffered a hip fracture that didn’t heal.  As a result, she lived her last three years in the Barrington Place Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Clinton, where she received excellent care from the staff of Barrington Place and Independence Hospice.  She finally succumbed to Covid on Sunday, August 22, 2021, with much of her family nearby.

Janet is survived by her six children: Lauralee (Pete) Horrocks, Jennifer, Veronica (Scott) McNabb, Carolyn (Leonard) Adair, Natalie (Bruce) Loveland, and Michael (Angie); sisters-in-law Marilyn Oberg and Jo-An Oberg; 27 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her siblings Seth Michael, Marian Oberg Sly, Lawrence, and Douglas.

With safety in mind, an outdoor visitation will be held at the bowery behind the Centerville Stake Center (950 North Main) on Monday, September 6, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  A graveside service will be held at Mount Olivet Cemetery on Tuesday, September 7, at 1:00 p.m.

Please share a memory with us on the mortuary’s website.

The graveside service will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page.