Jan Mallett Minckley

On June 22nd, 1930, Jan Cauley was born to Porter and Tillie Franks. She arrived at her Grandmother and Grandfather William Cauley’s home on Walcott Street in Comanche, Texas, after much anticipation.

Jan grew up in Comanche, graduating from Comanche High School with academic honors. She developed a love of books, (like her mother) and enjoyed spending time with her father, Director of the Comanche Funeral Home. Throughout her life, many people said she was the brightest person they ever knew.

After marriage, Jan moved to Lubbock to continue her schooling and soon had four daughters. The competing demands for Jan’s time was clear when her undergraduate degree took 20 years to complete. She did not give up in any of her endeavors.

As a speech pathologist in Lubbock, she received a grant to study at the University of Texas in Austin. Moving her girls to Austin, she completed her Ph.D. in 1971. After attaining a position in Salt Lake City, and another move, Jan and her husband, Mike Mallett, had their daughter, Jessica.

Jan worked in Utah with the State School system, then became the Executive Director of the Governor’s Council for Special Populations. In this position, she had the privilege of working with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican) and Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy (Democrat) in writing and passing the American with Disabilities Act. She is happy that millions of Americans enjoy the substantially improved quality of life this Act has provided. Her talents and strength of purpose were demonstrated in the accomplishment of this landmark legislation.


Returning to her beloved Austin to care for her mother in Comanche, Jan worked on the Texas Governor’s Council and served on several non-profit Boards, including the Girl Scouts of America, an organization that provided a way of life for Jan and her family. She moved to Comanche after retiring.

During her life, Jan enjoyed reading, painting and white water river rafting – making her twentieth trip down the Utah rivers at age 72. She also enjoyed hand quilting and sewing, making clothes and costumes for her children and beautiful and complicated quilts. Buying a jumbled quilt frame at a garage sale, Jan put it together and used it, but her family still can’t figure it out! A beautiful writer, Jan shared her abilities with other graduate students, improving their writing and completion skills. Gay Goodman and Anna Garcia are grateful to her, among others. She was married to Sam Langley, Michael Mallett and Wilton (Bill) Minckley and is survived by five daughters and their husbands (Diane and George Farahay, Dede S. and Homer Williams, Lynn Langley and Jim Eskew, MD., Lisa and Steve Ferguson and Jessica and Michael Bailey), one son (Greg Minckley), one daughter-in-law (Karen Minckley), 12 grandchildren (Luke and Meg Farahay, Charlie Skeahan, Lyndsey and Jancy Langley, David Eskew, Amy F. Brown, Morgan C. Hunt, Finn and Lochlann Bailey, Erin and Jesse Minckley and nine great-grandchildren who loved her so.

The family will hold a graveside service and a larger celebration at a later date.