Janis Devlin Walters

Janis Mary Walters (Devlin), fondly known as Jan, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2026, in Leonardtown, Maryland.

Janis was born on July 18, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York, where she lived until the age of eleven. She then moved to the Bronx to live with her grandmother, Mary Coverly, with whom she shared a special bond.

After completing her education, Janis began her military career in her early twenties, enlisting in the New York Army National Guard. She was attached to the 1st Battalion, 105th Field Artillery in the Bronx. In August 1980, she attended the Empire State Military Academy, earning her commission as a Second Lieutenant. Several years later, she applied for and was accepted into the National Guard Bureau (NGB) in Arlington, Virginia, where she served as an action officer within the Personnel Division and ultimately rose to the rank of Captain. It was during her time at the NGB that she met Captain Charles William Walters, her soulmate. They became best friends, fell in love, and were married on Saturday, June 18, 1988, beginning a loving partnership filled with devotion, laughter, and an effortless harmony that defined their life together.

Jan and Chuck packed a lifetime of fun and adventure into their years together creating many cherished memories with family and friends, in every place they called home, from Alexandria, VA, to Phoenix, AZ, to Sunnyvale, CA, finally settling in Pine, AZ, where they chose to stay and open their own business. In each place they called home, they welcomed others with open arms and filled their space with joy, laughter, and genuine warmth, creating a place people loved to gather because it simply felt good to be there. That same nurturing spirit carried into their care for Jan’s aging father, mother, and grandmother, ensuring their final years were filled with comfort, dignity, and love.

Jan and Chuck were blessed with 18 beautiful years together until Chuck’s untimely passing. Jan carried that loss with enduring strength and love, while remaining a steady, gentle, and loving presence for her family, friends, and all who were fortunate enough to be around her.

Janis was preceded in death by her parents, Virginia (Coverly) and Eugene Devlin, her husband, Charles William Walters, her elder sisters, Kathy Loughran and Valerie Golonka, and her dear friend, Eric Taber.

Her absence will be deeply felt by her stepdaughter, Stephanie Moore (Richard), her grandchildren Alexander Hand (Alyssa), Danielle Hall (Marcus), and Richard Moore Jr. (Brittany), her great‑grandchildren, who affectionately called her Janma and Grandma Jam, Emilia, Kamdyn, Kinsley, Kimber, and Korbyn, and her loving nieces, Paula Toomey (Michael and children Zoey, Chris, and Julianna), Laura Loughran, and Mary Loughran. She also shared a deep bond with close family friends, Julie and Irwin Nathanson and Susan and Dan Hill.

Everyone who knew Jan understood how deeply she adored her dogs, each one a cherished companion throughout her life. During her final years residing in Maryland, Jan’s world was brightened by her time spent with Newton and Cricket, who filled her days with comfort, joy, and unconditional love.

A celebration of Jan’s life will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at The Pier Restaurant in Solomons Island, MD, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., where family and friends will gather to honor her memory and the many ways she touched their lives. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in memory of Janis Devlin Walters to the Dementia Society of America by mail to PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901, or online at https://www.dementiasociety.org.

Interment will be held at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona at a later date, where Janis will be reunited with her beloved husband, a reunion she longed for and spoke of often during the last twenty years.

Condolences may be made to the family at www.mgfh.com.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home and Cremation Services, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.