Janet Anne Happe

Janet Anne Happe, 77,  beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister, died peacefully on October 17 in hospice care at The Palmettos Assisted Living facility in Murrells Inlet, S.C. She requested no service be held.  Her spirit transitioned gently into the next dimension. 

Jan was born in NJ on September 16, 1946.  She is survived by her daughter Ellen Frary Yates of Fairfax County, VA; her grand-daughter Orla Jane Yates; and son-in-law Daniel A. Yates; and by her sister Barbara Happe VanBlarcum, of Horry County, S.C.

Jan is also survived by the children of her beloved eldest sister, Helen Happe Hallam:  Nancy Hallam-Smith, VMD (and her husband Thomas Smith of Sussex, NJ and their three daughters);  Leigh Hallam Starr of Middlesex, VT; and Lance Fairbanks Hallam of Severna Park, MD.

Ellen Frary Yates, Jan's daughter said, “My mom was amazing. She worked so diligently so I could attend good schools and play any sports I chose.  I want people to know of her gift at drafting, and her natural affinity with numbers and how they work. She was so incredibly intelligent, both literally and emotionally. It was a gift for me to see her acknowledge her gift of emotional intelligence, and how she put it to use.”

Jan Happe resided in Nutley, NJ at 18 Stockton Place throughout her school years with her two sisters and their parents, William H. Happe, Jr. and Jane Hammond Barnes Happe. She  graduated from Nutley High School in 1964, as did her sisters before her.

Her parents  predeceased Jan, as did Helen Happe Hallam of Vernon, NJ, and  her grandparents, Wm. H. Happe, M.D. and Martha Widlake Happe of Nutley. 

Jan Happe retired in 2017 as Certified General Mass Appraiser for the County Council of Beaufort (SC) in the Office of the Assessor, with 25 years of experience with business process and administration. 

 Prior to her employment in  SC in 2003,  Jan served as Manager of Compliance and Inspections of commercial and multifamily mortgage-loan servicing for Criimi Mae Loan Servicing Corporation (MD), and Business Analyst of Multifamily Asset Management at Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (VA), and for banks and other institutions, as well as a self-employed subcontractor.

An associate member of The Appraisal Institute and graduate of Realtor's Institute, VA, Jan Happe also was a certified graduate of Katherine Gibbs College Liberal Arts/Executive Assistant Program.

Jan was an avid reader, gardener, and lover of all animals -- especially her several Akita canines, a stallion named Flyer, and many felines who resided with her variously in  Boston, Northern Virginia, and Beaufort, several of which had wisely adopted Jan.

“Grant O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that we may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those we love. Amen.” -From The Book of Common Prayer, According to the use of The Episcopal Church, page 505.

At Jan's request, kindly direct any donations in her memory to: The Humane Society of the United States, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037 or to, Hillsdale College, 33 East College Street, Hillsdale MI 49242.

To view these details online or to offer words of comfort through the online guestbook, kindly visit the funeral home website at, www.burroughsfh.com

Burroughs Funeral Home of Murrells Inlet (843-651-1440) is honored to assist the family.