Jane “Janice” McCrosky Tyler Calame
Memphis, Tennessee
Jane McCrosky Tyler Calame, greatly beloved by her family and friends and having lived a long and wonderful life of 103 years, died at home on December 21, 2017.
Janice was born October 3, 1914, in Holly Springs, Miss. She was predeceased by her husband of sixty years, Paul Armand Calame; her parents, Roger Barton and Jane McCrosky Tyler; as well as three brothers and one sister.
She is survived by her children Paul Armand Calame Jr. and his wife Carol; John Barton Calame and his wife Charlotte; and Mary Jane Calame Chotard and her husband Richard. She also leaves grandchildren, Paul A. Calame III, (Memory); Thomas Caldwell Calame, (Parmele); John Barton Calame Jr., (Antoanella); Russell Farrell Calame, (Rachel); Catherine Calame Botto, (Brian); Richard D. Chotard; and Christopher C. Chotard (Milena); as well as 12 great-grandchildren; one sister, Kathleen Tyler Nitschke, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Janice moved to Austin, Texas, with her family, when she was four years old. However, she returned with her family every summer to Holly Springs spending time with her paternal grandmother Rosa Barton Tyler and maternal grandmother Eula Means McCrosky. Both sides of Janice’s family settled in Marshall County in the 1830’s in the Hudsonville area. Her great-grandfather was Roger Barton, a distinguished Mississippi attorney residing in early Marshall County and her grandfather was Fisher Ames Tyler, owner and editor of The South newspaper from 1878 -1891. In 1920 The South newspaper merged with The Reporter newspaper and became known as The South Reporter. Janice attended grade school and high school in Austin, Texas, and then Ward -Belmont College in Nashville, Tenn. She returned to Austin to continue her college years at University of Texas where she graduated in 1935 with a B.A. in English. In June, 1936 in Austin, she married Paul Calame, also a Holly Springs native and descendent of early Marshall County settlers. They moved to Memphis, eventually buying a home on Central Avenue in 1942 where they spent many wonderful years. Janice was involved in those years volunteering at Memphis State College Training School, where her children attended; participating in altar guild work, teaching Sunday school, and taking part in activities at both St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee. Her family enjoyed weekends together at their family cabin near Holly Springs/Hudsonville, and also in later years at their cabin on Wahpeton at Hardy, Ark. She and her husband, Paul, maintained a close relationship through the years with lifelong friends in Holly Springs. Following Paul’s death, she moved to Trezevant Manor where she has enjoyed living for over twenty years.
Janice was actively involved and held leadership positions in many Memphis civic organizations. An avid reader, her joy in reading and research led to her gift establishing the library at Trezevant Manor. Her lifelong interest and talents in needlework art of all kinds resulted in wonderful creations, which many have enjoyed.
Always generous with her many talents and gifts, she had a continued desire to learn and share her interests with her family and friends. Her inner strength, gracious dignity, and genuine interest in others, as well as her devotion to her entire family, will be long remembered and missed by all who loved her.
Services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, Holly Springs, Mississippi, on December 27, 2017 at 11 a.m, where Janice was baptized as an infant. Burial will follow at the Calame family plot, Hill Crest Cemetery, Holly Springs, MS. Memorials may be sent to Christ Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 596, Holly Springs, MS 38635, or to a charity of choice.
paid obituary