Jan Currey
1930 – 2021
Fashioned in her signature orange attire, Jan Currey was a woman of style and grace and a true artist. Surrounded by her family and closest friends, she passed peacefully on Dec. 30 at the age of 91 in Malibu.
Born in Glendale, California, she was proud to be a fourth-generation Californian. Jan attended Hamilton High School and studied Art at UCLA. She married Sam Currey in 1953 while pursuing a successful modeling career. Jan’s artistic talent, eye for colorant passion for design led to a noteworthy career designing homes for some of LA’s celebrity crowd.
Jan loved her family, dogs, travel, chocolate, and of course, the color Orange! She found inspiration in Mother Nature’s beauty. Whether a rock or fallen leaf, there was always room for one more treasure in her pocket. She also loved Palm Trees; her license plate read “Plant Palms make Malibutiful.”
She came from a family of collectors; as a toddler, her parents Mimi and Frank would bring Jan and her brother Ross out to Malibu to collect tiles on the beach in front of the burned Malibu Potteries Factory. Jan became a regular in Malibu in 1953 when her in-laws Sam and Agnes Currey built their home on the Old Road. In 1982 those saved Malibu Tiles were put into service; Jan and Sam remodeled then moved into the house on Malibu Road and enjoyed four more decades of life on the beach.
Beyond generous, Jan’s homes are a refuge for friends and relatives visiting from afar or anyone needing a place to land and a good meal. Farewell, dear Jan, you were one of a kind, a true iconoclast. Gone but never forgotten, your memory will be a blessing to us and all the people you touched along the way.
Jan is survived by her daughter Elisabeth and her husband Mark; their children Samantha, Patrick, and Madison and her son Matt and his wife Aly; their children Hannah, Cameron, Matthew, and Jack.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimers Association at act.alz.org.