JaNae Lewis

JaNae is a teacher, arts enthusiast, and lifelong learner. But her most cherished titles are those of wife, mother of 6 and grandmother of 4. Native to California, but raised mostly in Utah, JaNae is a certified teacher of special education with 13 years of experience teaching public education students in grades K-9. She has put her teaching career aside for now as she dedicates herself to raising her two youngest children, Sammy, age 4, and Tayler, age 1. Her work with children began as a nanny in New York in the late 80s and continued throughout her college years as a trainer for individuals with disabilities and as an aide in a high school severe special education classroom. JaNae married her eternal love, Ed, later in life, at age 35, and was blessed to care for 5 step-children, the youngest of whom had been diagnosed a year earlier with a malignant brain tumor. Less than 3 years later, JaNae experienced profound loss upon losing him to the disease. In her earlier years, JaNae lived 15 months among the people of Honduras as a full-time missionary. She increased her Spanish fluency upon her return to the U.S. through earning a college degree in Spanish. Her work as a W.I.C. technician in culturally-diverse downtown Salt Lake City, UT and as a translator and educator in the school system has allowed her to remain fluent. She is inspired by and passionate about all types of music and has performed since childhood, singing solo, in choirs and in musical theater. JaNae has an aversion to wasting anything - time, money, food, space, etc. Add this characteristic to her perfectionist nature and the outcome is a passion for organization and precision in all she does. JaNae dreams of tropical vacations, owning her dream home and retiring early to explore historic sites and discover exotic destinations with her family.