Janice Taylor

Janice (Jan) Taylor, 80, of Kensett, Iowa, passed away Saturday, March 5, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa, in Mason City, Iowa.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, March 12, 2016, at Bethany Lutheran Church, in Kensett, with Pastor Tom Martin officiating, with burial afterwards at the Kensett Cemetery.   

Jan was born June 15, 1935, in Aberdeen, S.D., to Clifford and Rosella (Lohman) Barber.  Jan graduated from Central High School in Aberdeen in 1953.  Following graduation, Jan moved to Boston to be a nanny, returning to Aberdeen in 1954.   Later in 1954 she moved to Minneapolis where she met her husband, Charles (Chuck) Taylor.  They married on Nov. 16, 1956.  They lived in Minneapolis until 1964 when they moved to Kensett.  To this marriage three children were born, Scott David, Debra (Deb) Kay, and Brian Charles.

Jan worked at Deluxe Products, in Lake Mills, Iowa, from 1964 until 1971, when they purchased a restaurant and bar, Chuck and Jan’s, in Kensett.  Chuck passed away March 20, 1974, and Jan continued to run the business on her own, until 1977.  She then worked for the Iowa State University Extension Office in Cerro Gordo County until her retirement in 1997.   While working for the Extension Office she was most proud of the chick embryology program and the Crime Prevention and Safety Puppet program she started.  She reached over 100,000 students with the puppet program alone.  Also, while employed at the Extension Office, she served as the manager of the 4-H Food Stand, and she coordinated the Hunter Safety Education Program in Cerro Gordo County, and in 1985 she became a Chief Hunter Safety Instructor.  During her time at the Extension Office she received many awards, including two Governor’s Awards.

Jan is survived by two children, Scott, from Kensett, and Deb and her husband, Larry Billings, from Clear Lake, “her other kid” Lisa Crees, of Mena, Ark.; her grandson, Blake Billings, of Clear Lake; sister, Marilyn Smith and her son, Wayne, of Kensett; a brother, Curt Barber, of Winter Park, Fla.; and a special sister-in-law, Alice Barber, of LaPorte City; sister-in-law, Anna Mae Taylor, of Nora Springs, Iowa; and sister-in-law, Ardyce Gardner, of Manly, Iowa; and many other nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her son, Brian, on Oct. 24, 2001; her grandson, Ryan Charles Billings, on April 23, 2000; brothers, Don Barber, and Eugene (Spud) and his wife, Char Barber; sister-in-law, Jenny Barber; sisters-in-law, Lola Hall and Alvina Ross; and brother-in-law, Kenneth (Bud) Taylor.

Conner Colonial Chapel, Northwood, Iowa, was in charge of arrangements.