Sara Jane “Janie” Hand, 74, of Cleveland, TN, passed away Wednesday morning, April 22, 2015, in Chattanooga health care facility.
She was a member of the North Cleveland Church of God and the Encouragers Sunday School Class at her church. Raised in Lake Jackson, TX, she attended Lee College where she met her husband of 54 years, Marcus Hand.
Her life was shared with her husband in ministry to the Church of God. They evangelized together in Washington, Oregon, California and Georgia. They pastored several churches in Georgia. They moved to Cleveland in 1973 and this became their home. They left, briefly, for 6 years to pastor a church in Georgia and then returned to Cleveland to complete their ministry together. She was formerly employed with Lee College and the Church of God Headquarters. She then went to work at the Pentecostal Resource Center and retired from there.
She was preceded in death by her parents, H. W. and Cora Mae Jarrell.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 54 years, Rev. Marcus V. Hand, Cleveland, TN; daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie Susan (John) Dobbs, Jasper, TN; son, Marcus Jarrell Hand and his fiance’, Shandy, Cleveland, TN; two grandchildren, Sara Nichole and her husband (Chris) Morgan, Cleveland, TN and Marcus Sidney Hand, Cleveland, TN; one sister and brother-in-law, Cherrie (Jim) Yother, Cleveland, TN; and one niece and her husband, Cindy (Randy) Joiner, Atlanta, GA.
A celebration of the life and home going of Janie Hand will be held Friday, April 24, at 2 p.m. at the North Cleveland Church of God Dixon Center with Pastor Mitch Maloney, Rev. Robert Herrin, Rev. Julian Robinson and Dr. Louis Morgan officiating. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Members of the Encouragers Sunday School Class will serve as Honorary Pall Bearers.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church of God Pentecostal Resource Center.
Arrangements are being handled by Grissom-Serenity Funeral Home.