Dr. Janice Whitehead Woolley passed away peacefully on January 26, 2018 at her home on Mercer Island. She died from complications of multiple myeloma cancer. Her initial prognosis was three to five years, but Jan lived eleven years filled with joy, travel, and devotion to her family and church. Her husband, two of her siblings, her children, and a number of her grandchildren lovingly attended her final days.
Dr. Woolley was born to Dr. Calvert W. Whitehead and Norma Laws Whitehead on June 21, 1940 in Salt Lake City, and after spending her youth in Indianapolis, returned to Utah to study at Brigham Young University in Provo. She completed medical school at Indiana University and then completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. She met John Dudley Woolley PhD in Seattle and the two were married July 12, 1968 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.
After completing her residency, Janice began practicing medicine on Mercer Island, where she spent nearly four decades as a pediatrician and behavioral medicine specialist. Many called her “Dr. Jan”—or even “St. Jan” because of her selfless devotion to her patients, community, and family. On more than one occasion, she was voted one of Seattle’s top doctors.
Jan was loved by her patients, colleagues, and all who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to listen to and care for others, including those she knew well and complete strangers.
She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, reading, writing, traveling, watching films, doing family history, and serving others through her medical practice, church and temple work. She loved music and played the marimba and piano.
Jan was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and testified to her profound faith with an irreproachable life characterized by kindness, humility, compassion, dignity, wisdom, humor, and fortitude.
She is survived by her husband, Dr. John Dudley Woolley, and their four children: James Douglas Woolley, Jennifer Woolley Pugmire (and her husband, Jon), Jeffrey Dean Woolley (and his wife, Andrea), and Joseph David Woolley (and his wife, Mary).
Janice, the eldest of five siblings, is also survived by Norene Gay, Marilyn Taggart, Dexter Whitehead, and Alisha Clarke. She has nine grandchildren (Natalie, Rebecca, Aubrey, Nathan, Justin, Izabella, Zoltán, Mariah, and Joshua) and three great grandchildren (Karson, Keegan, and Kaiser). She is preceded in death by her grandchildren, Jonathan and Jack.
Jan leaves an incredible legacy of love, service, and compassion that will be carried on by the many people whose lives she touched.
Memorial service
Saturday February 3, 2018
Viewing 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Service 11:00 AM
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(Bellevue Washington South Stake Center)
Bellevue, WA 98007
Share stories and tributes on her guestbook.
(http://
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Kaplan Cancer Research Fund.
