Janice Lee Hoffman Donan, 75, of Bardstown, died Sept. 29, 2025. She was born April 10, 1950, in Indianapolis to Col. Edgar Franklin and Wylene Cole Hoffman.
She lived and attended schools from Eritrea to Hawaii as the Hoffmans moved wherever the U.S. Army assigned them. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a business degree in 1970 and worked in financial services. She later taught adult education and worked as a computer consultant.
She married Thomas Donan in 1974, and while he was serving in the USAF, they were blessed with two daughters before moving to Bardstown in 1979.
She was a longtime member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, and served in many roles, with a special dedication to children’s ministry. She was a 2000 graduate of the Education for Ministry program of the University of the South.
She loved reading, music, and travel, especially trips to Sarasota for opera performances, and trips with longtime friends from Woodson High School in Virginia. She was a lifelong advocate for public education, as a member of education organizations, as an academic team coach, and as a volunteer at several schools. She was a volunteer for many organizations, including the Democratic Women’s Club, Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence, and Room in the Inn. She loved baseball if and only if her grandson was playing. She also served as an unofficial editor and typist for several of Dixie Hibbs’ books.
She was preceded in death by her beloved parents.
She is survived by her husband, Tom Donan; two daughters, Julie Rebecca Black (Paul) of Lebanon, Ohio and Lisa Katherine Whitney (Todd) of Louisville; one grandson, Cole Alexander Whitney of Louisville; one brother, Timothy Franklin Hoffman (Lori) of Buchanan Dam, Texas.
The memorial service was Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, followed by a gathering for friends and family at Kreso’s Restaurant. Her cremains will be inurned at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 211 North Third Street, Bardstown, Kentucky 40004; Tri-County United Way, PO Box 547, Bardstown, KY 40004; or Hospice of Nelson County, 711 McDowell Blvd, Bardstown, KY 40004.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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