Janice “Jan” Suggs, of Dalton, Georgia, departed this life Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at her residence. She was born June 26, 1942, in Ringgold, Georgia, to the late Evans Otis (E.O.) and Reita Schmitt Suggs.

Jan was a 1960, graduate of Dalton High School and received her B.S. in Communications degree from the Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee.

She was funny, rebellious, strong, strategic, and more than a little OCD. She loved numbers, animals, Luke Bryan, Depeche Mode, and Jelly Roll. She hated onions, celery, watermelon, and bigots.

In grade school in the 1950s, a teacher told her she didn’t really need math, since girls weren’t good at it and wouldn’t use it as adults. She proved him wrong.

Before graduating with a communications degree, she received a job offer from a Christian broadcasting network in California. Her career advisor quickly explained how demoralizing it would be to her fiance, if she accepted a job before he even had an offer. Turn it down, he said. But Jan packed up and headed west. The only advice her mother gave her before she left was “don’t buy a bikini”. So of course, she did that, too.

Jan’s early career took a winding path. She moved to Chicago and worked at the Leo Burnett Company, a real-life Mad Men style ad agency where, among other things, she was chased around her desk by Colonel Sanders. She had a Marlo Thomas flip haircut, and took the elevated train to work. Eventually, she convinced her brother to co-sign for a car, since single women weren’t allowed to get a car loan on their own.

When she found a man with a gun in her backseat while driving home one night, she talked him into letting her go. She turned down a date with Evil Knievel, took a girl’s vacation to Monaco to watch the Grand Prix, and survived food poisoning in New Orleans with her sister Faye.

It was back in California where her true calling began to crystalize, and eventually she was a six-figure Senior VP at Aon Consulting, one of the world’s leading risk management and employee benefits companies. She was great at her job and respected in the industry, but her real life’s work was in mentoring other women. She and her sisterhood were powerful, rich, creative, chic, and fun. They traveled, shopped, golfed, and spa’d, and were regulars at every great restaurant in LA. Some were married. Some were single. Some stayed in the industry and some didn’t. But they were always there for each other.

Jan herself was married for such a short time that almost everyone forgot it ever happened. She did have to pay her ex alimony - which may have been part of the reason she stayed happily single the rest of her life.

Surprisingly, Jan moved back to Dalton when she retired, settled into a grand old house in the historic district, volunteered at the Humane Society and with the Democratic Party, donated to the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation, enjoyed evenings at Burr Park, lunches at Cafe Ostro (especially), road trips, walking, and family dinners.

Jan died peacefully, surrounded by people she loved.

She was also preceded in death by her brother, Carroll “Breit” Suggs, and a sister and brother in law, Faye and Pete Gannon.

She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Melanie Suggs and Elichai Hoenig; brother and sister-in-law, Evans and Michele Suggs; sister in law, Irene Suggs; nephew, Jason Allbright; great-niece, Lilith Allbright; great-nephew, Noah Allbright; caregivers, Liz Corral, K.K. Cummings, April Van Jasrsveldt and Citlalli Ramirez; many friends.

A celebration of life for  Janice "Jan" Suggs will be held at The Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia (110 Depot St, Dalton, GA 30720) on Friday September 25, 2026 at 11:00 A.M.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Ponders Melrose Chapel, 138 Melrose Drive, Dalton, Georgia 30721, (706) 226-4002.

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