Janet Smith Schaeffer Cooke

Jan was born to Alfred and Ethel Smith on January 28th, 1940 in her parent’s home in Harvey’s Lake, Pennsylvania where she grew up and graduated from Lake Lehman High School in 1957.

After graduation she moved with her family to Rochester, New York where she was employed as a secretary for Bausch and Lomb at the age of 17 and worked from 1957-1985. While employed at Bausch and Lomb, Jan furthered her education at Rochester Institute of Technology and Monroe Community College. Jan also advanced her career being promoted to Administrative Assistant and Human Resource Specialist.

In 1985 Jan left Bausch and Lomb to move to Lily Dale, New York with her husband Jay where they opened Jan & Jay’s Lakeside Cottage a B & B guesthouse operated until 2021. Jan also established a business, J & J Associates, where she worked for corporations to place needed professionals in important positions. Additionally, Jan worked with her husband at their business, an automotive sales and brokerage business, J & J Associates II.

Jan embraced her community of Lily Dale and used her resources volunteering becoming a program director growing the platform speakers that came to Lily Dale each summer.

Volunteering her services, Jan hosted and welcomed notable speakers such as Dr. Deepak

Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Patch Adams, Dr. Raymond Moody, and other such prominent spiritual teachers in the field. Jan also furthered her own spiritual journey in Lily Dale attending classes and seminary becoming an ordained spiritualist minister and a REIKI Master Practitioner and teacher. Jan became one of the co-founding members of the Church of the Living Spirit in Lily Dale and served also as co minister with her husband for Unity of Edinboro, PA and Unity of Port St. Lucie, FL. Jan served many platforms teaching and speaking throughout the United States, Canada, and Caribbean. Jan was also co-founder of Universal Unity of Spirit in Cassadaga, New York where she and her husband led services, taught spiritual classes, and offered healing and counseling sessions. Jan also served on the Board of directors of the Lily Dale Assembly and volunteered her services as the Program Director for several years.

Along with Jan’s many talents, one of her favorite things to do was to cook wonderful meals from scratch. Family, friends, and guests loved Jan’s cooking. After the Lily Dale summer season, Jan loved to travel with Jay to many different places in the US, Canada and the Caribbean, meeting and serving new people with her last trip being to Cuba where she and her husband brought many necessities for the help and comfort for the Cuban people.

Jan is survived in death by her husband Jay B. Cooke and her children, Teresa Schaeffer of Lily Dale, NY; Michael Schaeffer of FL; Jacqueline Wiley of Spencerport, NY; Jeanne DiNardo Vito of Pittsford, NY and Baclay Cooke of Hornell, NY; grandchildren Ryan and Joshua Spence of Rochester, NY

A celebration of life/memorial service for Jan will be held on July 4th, 2024 at 2:00pm at the Assembly Hall in Lily Dale, New York followed by a reception at the Lyceum Building in Lily Dale, NY

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Humane Society, Universal Unity of Spirit, or Lily Dale Assembly.