There are a lot of great personalities about whom we want to know more and more. Some are just popular because of something that happened to them, some are popular because they are closely associated with some popular personalities, or some gain popularity because of something strange that they have done.
We are going to talk about the death of one such popular personality, Janet Shearon, who was the first wife of the late historical personality, Neil Armstrong. Shearon was said to be one of the unsung heroes behind Neil’s moon landing achievement. Neil and Janet were together from the mid-’60s to the mid-’90s and faced a lot of ups and downs as a couple.
Janet Elizabeth Shearon or Janet Shearon was born in Wilmette, Illinois to Dr. Clarence Shearon and Louise Shearon. She was the youngest of the three daughters of the couple.
She completed her schooling at New Trier High School. She then went to Purdue University in the School of Home Economics and was also a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She was a very gifted person who had received a lot of awards and recognition worldwide. Her dedication was also highly appreciated during the American space program of the 1960s.
People know most of the things about Janet’s life but not many people know about the cause of her death. In this article, we are going to discover the cause of her death and some other aspects of her personal life like what kind of relationship she had with her husband, why the two of them separated, how the separation impacted both of them, how many kids they have, how did they move on after their separation, etc.
So without keeping await any longer, let’s just know how Janet Shearon died.
Janet Shearon’s Cause Of Death
Janet died on June 21, 2018, aged 84. She succumbed to lung cancer in West Chester, Ohio. It is not known when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She had a very long battle with the disease.
Janet is survived by her two sons, daughter-in-law Wendy Armstrong, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She lived a very simple life despite being the wife of an astronaut who used to receive the status of a celebrity. The couple lived a very simple life away from the limelight.
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Janet and Neil as a couple
Janet and Neil met at Purdue University where Neil was pursuing aeronautical engineering and Janet was pursuing a major in home economics. Apart from having a strong command of academics, she was also good at synchronized swimming. It was while she was swimming that Neil first saw her and found her fascinating. They first officially met at a sorority party and both of them had known each other for three years before Neil asked her out. The couple decided to take things slow and not rush into things. They married on January 28th, 1956, and settled in the San Gabriel Mountains on the outskirts of Lancaster, California where their home was in Juniper Hills. After marrying Neil, Janet dropped out of her college, which she regretted later on. From her home, Janet could very easily see Neil flying experimental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base in the distance.
The couple had three kids together. Their first son, Eric Armstrong was born in 1957. Two years later, their daughter Karen Armstrong was born in 1959. Tragically, two years after being born, Karen died due to a brain tumor. She died on their wedding anniversary after which the couple never celebrated it. Their third kid, Mark Stephen Armstrong was born on April 8, 1963. The death of their daughter brought a dent in their marriage.
After being married for 38 years, the couple separated and finally got divorced in 1994. The reason for their divorce is said to be Neil’s emotional unavailability while Janet tried to carry the burden of maintaining a good family life and managing the kids.
After their separation, Janet shifted to Utah to start her new life. Neil on the other hand drowned in depression but regained his composure after meeting Carol Held Knight, who later on became his second wife.
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