Longtime Lockwood resident Janice Phillips passed away peacefully at the family home on August 1st. Born and raised in San Diego, the oldest of three daughters of Al and Jeanette DuFloth, Janice graduated from San Diego State University where she received her teaching credential in 1975. She ventured north to King City two years later to begin a long and gratifying teaching career at San Lorenzo and then Chalone Peaks middle schools, teaching art and language arts to countless King City students. In the summer of 1978 she took a temporary job as a dental assistant for David Phillips, a young dentist new to King City, and became much more than a temporary employee, as the two were married a year later. Janice and David were blessed with forty-four years of a loving marriage. Together they raised two children, Josh and Becca, both of whom followed her path into careers in education, and who brought the joy of three granddaughters into their lives.

Janice had a lifelong love of horses, bringing her first horse Sugar to King City with her from San Diego. After marrying David she had a childhood dream come true, as she was able to look out the kitchen window in Lockwood and watch her horse.  She was an avid gardener who loved to spend long hours planting and pruning and caring for her beautiful yard. And she was a gifted musician, with a gentle and tender touch on her Guild guitar, playing music at her church home, Grace Lutheran Church, for decades. This was a natural place for her to express her love of God, through the rich Christian fellowship that she cherished. She spent years helping lead Solid Rock Youth, the youth program at the church, offering a kind and loving influence. Then in later years she turned to volunteering as a roadie on the AIDS/Lifecycle bike ride, giving selflessly of her time and energy for a week every year to do her part in the battle against AIDS and HIV.

Janice was a person of heart. Her classroom motto was displayed on a poster on the wall that read simply "Just be nice." It really summed up her heart's desire for her life. She will be missed deeply, by so many whose lives were made better by her presence. She was preceded in passing by her parents Al and Jeanette and younger sister Joanne and by her precious baby boy Sam. She is survived by a loving family, her sister Jeanine, son Josh, daughter Rebecca, granddaughters Ada, Elizabeth, and Madelyn, and her devoted husband David.

SERVICE INFORMATION:

A Celebration of Life will be held at Grace Lutheran Church on Saturday August 12 at 11:00 , and the family will gather for a private scattering of ashes at the Lockwood family home. In lieu of flowers, the family would request donations to any of her three favorite organizations, AIDS/Lifecycle, Sol Treasures, or the Women Of Grace Scholarship fund.

For more information, please contact Eddington Funeral Services, 429 Bassett St., King City, (831) 385-5400, www.EFS-Cares.com .