Janice Fay Lenoir Cozort, November 25, 1933 – January 18, 2022. Fay was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, the third of four children, to Leon and Verda Lavendera Lenoir. She attributed many of her pleasing personality traits to her "middle-child" status. She grew up in Hattiesburg and Gulfport, Mississippi, with experiences during the Great Depression and World War II shaping her childhood. Many happy times were spent with extended family in Picayune – large Sunday lunches at the Lee farm followed by singing of hymns around the piano afterward.

After graduating from Gulf Park College and Mississippi State College for Women, Fay moved to Houston to teach at Lanier Junior High. As part of the "space race" of the late 1950s when the U.S. sought to train more science teachers, she was one of fifty scholars selected by the National Science Foundation to study at the University of Texas. While at UT, she met bright women who became wonderful lifetime friends. She returned to Houston to teach at Jackson Junior High, and married a fellow educator, William James (Bill) Cozort. They enjoyed five happy years together, welcoming two children, Caroline and Will, before Bill's untimely death in an automobile accident in 1966. Fay returned to teaching, enjoying many fulfilling years in the science department at Bellaire High School. She had great colleagues at Bellaire, many of whom were also cherished friends. They prided themselves on providing an excellent educational experience to their students. While continuing to work full time, Fay earned an M.Ed. from the University of Houston. She became an assistant principal at Bellaire and enjoyed chaperoning students on trips to Russia, France, and Germany. But Fay's most significant sources of pride and joy were her children, to whom she was fiercely devoted and for whom she maintained a loving and secure home.

On holidays and in the summers during her children's youth, they enjoyed visiting family from the Gulf Coast to the Mississippi Delta, in Louisiana, and at the Cozorts' farm in Lamar County, Texas. Fay remained close to Bill's family -- a special gift to his family and her children.

After her retirement in 1994, Fay enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, exercising with friends at Chancellor's, finding treasures at estate sales, and tending her yard and many plants. She volunteered as a docent at Bayou Bend, devoted time to others through Corpus Christi Catholic Church, and was an officer and active member of Delta Kappa Gamma. She also took great pleasure being on her porch swing with a glass of wine while visiting with neighbors. "Mi Casa es Su Casa" was her motto; she opened her home several times to friends and family receiving care at the nearby Texas Medical Center. She loved being with her five grandchildren, and many joyous times were had together, especially beach vacations.

Twenty wonderful years in retirement passed before Fay moved to an assisted living facility in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as most of her beautiful memories slowly began to fade. Despite leaving her Houston home of almost 50 years, Fay made the most of her final years, spending time with her family, and remained a "glass half-full" optimist until the end.

Fay was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings, Dr. Leon Lenoir, Jr. (Martha Lenoir), Elaine Lenoir Murphy (A.G. "Pat" Murphy), Larry Lenoir; and her husband, Bill. Surviving family members include her children, Dr. Caroline Cozort McDonald (Dr. Robert McDonald) and William James Cozort, Jr. (Sharon McCord Cozort); grandchildren, Patrick Murphy McDonald, Anne Claire McDonald Stacey (Alex Stacey), Michael Hugh McDonald, John Andrew "Jack" Cozort, and William McCord Cozort; great granddaughter, Maria Rose Stacey; in-laws, Roger Cozort, Mary Winslow, Paula Kay Cozort, and Judy Lenoir; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. She also leaves behind many friends and former students whose lives she touched.

The family's deepest gratitude goes out to the many angels of mercy who cared for Fay in her final years at Gabriel's Villa and Westbrook Manor.

A Memorial Mass will be held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 9900 Stella Link Road in Houston, Texas on Saturday, February 26 at 11:00 a.m. Friends are cordially invited to visit with the family beginning at 10:00 a.m. A reception will follow at a venue to be announced during the service. A private interment will be held at Meadowbrook Cemetery in Paris, Texas. In lieu of flowers, a donation to one of the Principal's scholarships at Bellaire High School would honor Fay's life.

"Well done, my good and faithful servant." Mt 25:23


Myrtle Lee Nelson Scholarship Fund, 515 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1000, Houston, TX 77027. Make payable to "Greater Houston Community Foundation" and please note the fund name on the check.

David S. McLure Scholarship Fund, 1200 Smith Street, #1400, Houston, TX. 77002. Attn: Barry Adkins

Harlan G. Andrews Scholarship Fund, 5115 Patrick Henry St., Bellaire TX 77401-4905.