Jan Puterbaugh

Jane”Jan” Hepple Puterbaugh  passed unexpectedly on March 29th, 2023 at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio after being admitted only several days before; her husband Dave was with her.

Born on May 7th, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois, Jane Ann Hepple was the daughter of Robert Hepple and Mary Heald. Mary passed when Jan was 5 and Robert remarried Ruth Schucat shortly thereafter. Ruth and her sister Edna played an influential role in Jan’s life. Jan had a younger brother, David and an older brother, Robert (deceased).

She graduated from Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, OH where she played Field Hockey.  She graduated from Purdue University where she studied Hospitality and Home Design.

Jan taught English in Chicago, where she met Dave. They both went to Purdue but had never met one another while at school. Before moving to Alliance in 1974, she and Dave had lived in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

After achieving a Master’s Degree in Library Science, she became the Middle School Librarian at Stanton Middle School where she enjoyed working with her fellow teachers and a wide range of students.  She later took on the role of head librarian in the Alliance School System. Above all, she loved reading stories to the entering 6th graders and as they matured, teaching them to research, write papers and find books that would capture their imagination.

In Alliance she was active in the community and recreation programs. She and her family attended the 1st Presbyterian Church regularly for over 40 years. She was an avid supporter of the Arts, attending the yearly Schooler lecture, going to the Carnation City Players, concerts at Mount Union, the Canton Symphony, etc. She loved being active. She played golf, swam, attended almost any exercise class she could, and in particular excelled at tennis. She and Dave also participated in a weekly bicycling group that rode every Friday.

In recent years, Jan enjoyed an active social life participating in an Alliance chapter of Sorosis (a woman’s club), several book clubs, a bridge group, doing Ikebana, and her weekly ‘Pilates’ class. She volunteered regularly at the Alliance Food Pantry, which she helped build with Dave. She spent many years as an ad litem for an elderly member of the community. Jan enjoyed entertaining and having friends over to the house. She was a fantastic cook, always exploring new dishes and cuisines.

Jan loved to travel, visit museums, and try new foods. Her travels included Hong Kong, Guam, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Norway was particularly special because Dave and Jan hosted a Norwegian exchange student, Oystein Skotte (‘Scotty’) for a year.  Scotty became another member of the family.

In August each year the family would go to northern Michigan, near Traverse City, and enjoy hiking, biking, finding Petoskey Stones, visiting the bakeries and exploring art galleries and little shops in the small towns.

Though she had only been at Copeland Oaks for a short period of time, she quickly got involved in activities, groups and various programs including hiking, pickleball, and various classes (most recently literature and Russian History). She was very generous with her time and would always be there when someone needed help or something needed to be done.

Jan is survived by a loving family: her husband Dave and two sons Eric and John and her daughters (in-law) Joanna and Emily, as well as her brother David Hepple. She deeply loved her three grandchildren, Theo, Ruth and Gabriella, actively following their hobbies, sports, school events, achievements.

Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 8th, 2023 at 12:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church in Alliance at 265 W. Beech St., Alliance, OH. Family will receive friends at 11am prior to the service. There will also be a luncheon at the church after the service.