Janet Johnson Elliott

Funeral services for Mrs. Janet Johnson Elliott, 81, of Kilgore will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at First Baptist Church in Kilgore with Reverend Joe Orr officiating. Burial will follow at Rusk County Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday, March 3 from 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. Janet passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2026 in Henderson.

Janet was, born in Henderson on November 19, 1941, was the second of three daughters of the late Burley Roy and Lillian Augusta Johnson. Janet was raised in Turnertown and attended primary school in Gaston where she graduated Salutatorian in the class of 1960. She started playing the piano at a young age and matured into a very gifted and talented pianist. She started teaching private lessons in her early 20’s and continued to do so until 2015. While attending Kilgore College, Janet played piano for morning BSU devotionals. Following a devotional in 1962, Janet met Lewis Anders Elliott whom she married on August 30, 1963.

In addition to Kilgore College, she attended Stephen F. Austin University and graduated from Lamar University with a degree in Elementary Education. Janet taught elementary education at two different private schools and for Texas independent school districts in Whitharral, Port Arthur, Levelland, and retired from Pinetree Elementary in Longview. Janet joined her husband in the music ministry in 1973 serving as the church pianist in the First Baptist Churches of Nederland, Levelland, Kilgore and Mount Enterprise, all in Texas. She was the pianist for The Davidson Convocation in Marshall from 1968 until 2019. Janet was always active in her church, loved to travel with her husband, and was a doting grandmother to her two grandchildren. Janet was also an avid reader, loved children, and her family will always remember her passion for having a clean home, keeping everything in its place, and presenting the best version of herself every single day.

Janet is survived by her husband, Lewis Anders Elliott of Kilgore, daughter and son-in-law, Julia Dawn and Thomas Lantz of Kilgore; son, Jonathan David Elliott of Dallas; grandchildren, Jordan Lutz and Preston Lantz both of Kilgore; sister, Mary Margaret Lemley; sister and brother-in-law Betty Joyce and Wayne Speir; along with several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brother-in-law, George Lemley.