Janice Elaine O'Donnell
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Janice Elaine O'Donnell passed away peacefully on April 22, 2021 in Austin, TX. with family members at her side.
Born on September 11, 1932 in Oshkosh, NE, to Carl and Gladys Smith, her 88 year life journey began on a small farm in the wheat country of western Nebraska. In later years, had you seen her buying butter at Krogers, could you guess that as a child she, along with her sister Jean, had to actually churn the butter that went on the homemade bread. Eventually, her father built a home in nearby Chappell and they moved to the big city, population 1,000.
Following high school Janice graduated from the Colorado Women's College and the University of Nebraska. She married her lifetime partner Paul O'Donnell in 1958 and soon settled in Caspar, WY, where they lived just long enough to have a son and daughter, before following the siren call of the oil industry to Texas. Neither Jan nor Paul ever shed a tear over the absent brutal winters of the Midwest and truth be told, it was just plain hard to keep her warm enough as she got older. That's Jan under the pile of blankets!
In Texas, Jan and family tried out all of the Texas 'heats' (Corpus Christi, Houston, Midland) before settling in northwest Houston. Once the children were a bit older Jan entered, what can be, one of the most brutal of occupations: substitute teaching. Come on, you know how you treated the substitute teacher.
Jan loved to travel and once retired she and Paul made several trips to Europe and Africa. Until a stroke limited her mobility, she was an active member of the Delphian Society, attended Lakewood United Methodist Church, played bridge regularly, and especially loved to attend musical performances at the Centrum. She particularly enjoyed hearing pianists. Once upon a time she could tickle those ivories herself and her children, when younger, delighted in requesting 'Dizzy Fingers'. The song's title says it all. Really, she just loved to socialize, and you can't say that about anyone else in the family.
Jan is survived by her husband Paul, son and daughter-in-law Brian and Missy, daughter and son-in-law Sondra and Jim Kenealy, and grandsons Jake and Zach Kenealy. If you wish to make a donation in Jan's name please consider Lakewood United Methodist Church (www.lakewoodumc.org/giving) or the American Stroke Association (www.stroke.org)