Janelle Tynan
March 2, 1942-July 10, 2024
Sunnyvale, California

Janelle Tynan, beloved teacher in Mountain View for 37 years, passed away on July 10, 2024 in Sunnyvale.

Jan was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio; the sixth of seven children. After graduating from Mary Manse College in Toledo in 1964, she joined her sister, Mary, and family in California. She began her career with the Mountain View School district teaching 6th grade at Landels Elementary, and also taught 4th grade at Huff Elementary (now Amy Amai Elementary) for several years. At the time of her retirement in 2001, Jan had been teaching 6th grade for 20 years at Graham Middle School. Through the course of her career, she mentored other teachers, led workshops, and took on leadership positions within the district. She used her creativity to make learning fun and memorable for her students, and sought to address the needs of the whole student. She formed many long term friendships with students and their families, as well as with colleagues.

In addition to teaching, Jan enjoyed travel (particularly to England), theater, high tea, decorative painting, and time with friends and family. She is survived by her brother, Michael Tynan of Columbus, OH; and by many nieces and nephews, including several in the area: Marie Ghiringhelli of Pleasanton, Carol Braunstein of Mountain View, and Michael Dyer of Truckee. She spent much of her spare time with her great nieces and nephews, enjoying local outings, family celebrations, and supporting their academic and sporting adventures.

Tags: teacher/educator