Janette Wright Henley

Age 64, of Nashville transitioned from this earthly life to eternal life on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

Born the first daughter of Reverend Dr. Mathew and Annie Mae Wright, Janette was born on February 26, 1953 in Memphis, TN. The family then relocated to North Chicago, IL., where Janette was the oldest of four children.

Always following her daddy to church, she confessed her faith in Christ at an early age. She was baptized by Reverend H.J. Cook where she became a member of Gideon Baptist Church of Waukegan, IL.  Later, she was an active choir member and usher for each of these churches, Greater Faith Baptist of Chicago, IL., New St. Mark of Grand Rapids, MI. and Second Baptist Church of Kalamazoo, MI. all pastored by her father, Rev. Dr. Matthew Wright. She was known for her soulful solos and leads, such as "Marchin' For Jesus", "I made a Vow" , "I know the Lord Will Make a Way" , and "I want to Live So God Can Use Me".

She attended Lindbergh Elementary School and Novak in North Chicago, IL., prior to relocating with the family to Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduating from Ottawa Hills High School in 1971. She took coursework at Harvard University while residing in Boston, Massachusetts and earned her Associate's Degree. She had a special interest in art, home decor and design and was offered a scholarship to the University of Minneapolis following high school. While she made a decision to not attend, her special talent was demonstrated in her home decor and her impeccable penmanship.

Relocating to Nashville, TN. in 1987, she was a faithful member and active servant first at Pleasant Green as First Lady. She later enjoyed her membership at Mt. Zion Baptist Church under the pastoring of Bishop Joseph W. Walker III.  She loved to sit front and center during the 8:00 AM service. Her "shake" during service was well known and sometimes mocked by her children, nieces and nephews. Standing to join in the singing of the choir or to witness the sermon was part of her demonstration of her walk of faith. Most recently, she enjoyed attending service with her children and grandchildren at New Seasons Church where the Reverend Dwayne Lewis is the pastor. Janette's absolute walk of faith and hope in Christ is made evident in each of her children and families as they all are strongly connected to God and their church communities.

While Janette worked periodically at various positions mostly for school districts, she had a passion for the things that allowed her to express her creative juices and her passion for entrepreneurs. She loved collecting the perfect items to make those special gift baskets for any occasion, but especially for Easter and Mother's Day. Her love for cooking gained her a first place in an all men BBQ citywide cook off. She catered for a wide genre of occasions, both personal and community affairs. Her front lawn frequently became a neighborhood boutique as she valued never throwing away a gently used or never used item. She featured household goods, children clothing and toys, women clothing and shoes most often. Faithful customers looked forward to being able to browse and shop and if they were lucky they'd be able to get a slice of one of her cakes at the end of their spree. Her love for children didn't stop with her own as she became a licensed child care provider for many, an early childhood paraprofessional, and most recently a bus monitor for students with special needs for the Tennessee Public Schools.

Janette was preceded in death by both her parents, Annie Mae Wright and Dr. Reverend Mathew Wright. She will be lovingly missed and survived by six children, Anedra (Tyrone) Logan of Fredericksburg, VA., Mansa (Angelica) Henley of Memphis, TN., Jahi (Alisha) Henley of Fredericksburg, VA., Tiombe (DeCosta) of Nashville, TN., Akilah (JeWayne) Robinson of Madison,TN. and Joshua (Lara) Henley of Nashville, TN.; fourteen grandchildren; two sisters, Margie (James) Davis of Skokie, IL. and Lisha Jackson of Columbus, OH.; one brother, Reverend Kevin (Pamela) Wright of Kalamazoo, MI.; a God sister, Ramona Hawkins of Memphis, TN., special relatives, Gloria Bouie of North Chicago, IL. and John (Kendra) McBride of Zion, IL. and a life long friend, Laine Gilbert along with a host of nieces, nephews, great aunts and uncles, cousins and friends.