When I think about my mom, I think about what it means to live with purpose. There are people who talk about making a difference, and then there are people who wake up every morning and actually do it. Janet was one of those who actually led the work.
I won’t pretend that her dedication to serving others didn’t sometimes strain our family relationships. Mom was called to a greater purpose, and she answered that call with her whole heart. While this wasn’t always easy for us, I understand now that her capacity for agape love and justice extended far beyond our home, embracing all who needed an advocate, a voice, a defender.
I often say that we all have a calling, and the real job of life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Janet knew her calling. She answered it every day, even when it meant difficult choices, even when it strained family bonds. Because she understood that love sometimes requires sacrifice, and that service is love made visible.
Janet wasn’t interested in accolades or recognition. She was interested in results. From chartering the Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula NAACP to her work with Zimbabwe, she didn’t waste time talking about making a difference—she simply rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
As a member of the National Council of Negro Women, the League of Women Voters, and Gamma Phi Delta Sorority Inc., Janet understood that organizations were tools for change, not badges to collect. Her memberships weren’t just affiliations—they were extensions of her purpose. Her faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was another framework through which she approached her responsibility to God through community.
Mom lived life on her own terms—unapologetic, bold, courageous. Her faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints provided her with strength and guidance throughout her journey.
Janet showed us that a life well-lived is measured by what you contribute. She lived by ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’. Her legacy lives on in the ordinances and laws she influenced, the barriers she broke, and the hearts she touched.
What strikes me most about Janet was her refusal to be defined by circumstances. Her physical disability was not a reason to sit on the sidelines. Because she understood a fundamental truth: joy is an act of resistance.
When I think about my mom, I don’t think about sentimentality or soft edges. I think about a woman who stood firmly in her truth and did what needed to be done, period. She made her choices deliberately, with full awareness of the costs.

I appreciate while the work was the focal point, she found fulfilment beyond herself. Justice was the point. Equity was the point. Wherever she found herself, was where she was supposed to be. What I respect most about Janet was her straightforward approach to life’s complexities. No flowery language, no excessive emotion—just clarity of purpose and direct action.
Her legacy isn’t wrapped in warm, fuzzy feelings. It’s concrete and tangible—seen in policies changed, communities strengthened, and barriers broken. Janet showed us what it means to live by principle rather than popularity. She reminds us that sometimes the most loving thing you can do for the world is to be uncompromisingly committed, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it’s unpopular, even when it costs you personally.
That was Janet Wells. Not a saint, nor a martyr—a straight shooter who was not afraid to correct societal wrongs. And in a world where people reserve to get involved, she was a voice for the least, the last, the lost and the left out.