Janice Smarr Haney-Plunk

On August 3rd, 1934, with God’s grace, Millard and Zillah Smarr brought their third daughter into the world, whom they named Janice Anita Smarr. She, along with her sisters, grew up in a working-class household in Hapeville, Georgia, in a faithful church centered family. Being the youngest sibling, Janice learned how to act in public from her mother, father, and both sisters.

One of her high school teachers noticed her natural beauty and encouraged her to audition for the teen board at Rich’s department store in Atlanta. She went without her parents’ knowledge, thinking it would be nothing more than a way to please her teacher. But she and her friend were cheerfully accepted. Weeks later, the entertainment troupe The Louisiana Hayride held auditions in Atlanta. Again, she and a friend were encouraged to audition, and she was asked to join. She declined, knowing her parents would not permit it.

She entered the Miss Hapeville pageant and won, which allowed her to compete in the Miss Georgia contest. But that was not to be. Her father accepted a position with the newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, dashing her hopes in the middle of her junior year. In her senior year of high school, she met a football player named James Whitney Haney, Jr., who went by ‘Whit’. They dated throughout her senior year. They grew fond of each other, but her father’s opportunity again interrupted her plans. Her two sisters were now married, leaving Janice the only one at home to move to Columbia, South Carolina.

This led Whit to choose a college where he could walk on as a football player, The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, a three-hour drive from Janice at the time. Their love grew, and both wanted to marry. They did on April 8, 1955. Whit graduated and joined the Air Force. He was honorably discharged and accepted an electrical engineering position with RCA. By 1960, the young Haney family had grown to five members, including Whitney, Jeffrey, and Michael.

In 1962, Whit was offered a transfer to the office in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Janice and Whit joyfully accepted and moved to North Palm Beach. The three boys grew up under Janice's watchful eye. Misbehavior was punished by the chore of pulling fast-growing weeds from the gardens.

During these years in the Palm Beaches, Janice began her career at Burdine’s in West Palm Beach as a runway model. Her upbringing, natural beauty, and experience in Atlanta gave her the confidence to succeed in high fashion, and she appeared in newspaper and magazine ads for the Eileen Ford Modeling Agency. Later, she opened her own modeling school, Janice Haney Models, in North Palm Beach.

In 1971, the fourth brother, John, was born. A few years later, Whit achieved a breakthrough with a new startup computer company. His career blossomed, and he climbed the corporate ladder from coast to coast, culminating in Atlanta, Georgia. Janice supported her husband with style throughout his career. They moved to McKinney, Texas, in 2005 to be near their new grandchildren.

Not long after, Whit was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Janice cared for him as long as she could, until he needed skilled care. He died on November 19, 2014, and was laid to rest in Smarr, Georgia.

At the same facility, Robert Conlee Plunk was caring for his sick wife. She died shortly thereafter.

Janice and Conlee had been acquainted since they found themselves in the same predicament. He reached out to Janice as a friend. Their relationship deepened into love, and on November 10, 2018, they married at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Dallas, Texas. They shared companionship until Janice died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

Janice is survived by her husband, Mr. Robert Conlee Plunk, and three of her four sons, James Whitney Haney III, Jeffrey Wayne Haney, and John Ashley Haney. Michael Smarr Haney died in 2015 from cancer. She has five grandchildren, James Magee Haney, Matthew Whitney Haney, Holland Helene Haney ‘Holly’, John Ashley Haney Jr. ‘Jack’, and William Thompson Haney, and two great-grandchildren, Hazel Lynwood Haney and James Magee Haney Jr.

Family will greet friends for a time of visitation on Tuesday evening, September 1, 2026, from 6:00PM to 8:00 PM, at Hart’s Mortuary at the Cupola.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30am, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in the Chapel of Hart’s Mortuary at the Cupola, with The Reverend Josh Fink officiating. Burial will follow at the New Providence Baptist Church in Smarr, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in honor of Mrs. Janice Smarr Haney to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://Alzheimer's Association .

Please visit www.hartsmort.com to express your condolences.

Hart’s Mortuary at the Cupola, 6324 Peake Road, Macon, Georgia 31210, has charge of the arrangements.