Janice Carlyle

 Janice Jeneal (James) Carlyle, 90, died peacefully at home Sunday, August 25, surrounded by family. She was a strong, caring, selfless woman who spent much of her life in the service of her family and her Catholic faith. 

 Janice was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Leonard and Mildred (Strait) James - the fourth of five children. When she was five years old, her mother died; when she was twelve, she moved to Denison, Iowa, to help her uncle and aunt, Joe and Viola James and she converted to the Catholic faith. At Denison High School, she acted in school plays, worked at Olsen’s Bakery and JC Penneys, and was nominated for homecoming queen. Upon graduation, she worked for a time at Smith Photography and then First National Bank.

 Janice and Thomas Raymond Carlyle were married at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Denison on July 19, 1954, and had 68 years together. The pair raised five children. Her children describe their mother as endlessly supportive of their activities and decisions, welcoming of their friends, forgiving, and caring. 

 Throughout her life, when faced with tragedies and medical hardships, Janice maintained an accepting, uncomplaining outlook and adapted to whatever came her way. 

 In addition to her roles as wife and mother, Janice returned to work at the First National Bank when her youngest child started school and was a teller at the drive-in First National Bank for years. She worked briefly in the front office at Iowa Beef Packers. Janice also was responsible for bookkeeping duties for Carlyle Memorials and the Crawford Heights Memory Gardens Cemetery - duties she continued even after her son, Alan, purchased the family business. She was a tireless worker and could often be found painting interior and exterior surfaces for rental properties when not cooking, cleaning, or bookkeeping. 

 As a volunteer, Janice was a member of the St. Rose of Lima’s Ladies Guild. As part of the Crawford County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, she served as president one year and volunteered at the hospital snack shop and gift shop for several others. 

 For the American Cancer Society, she served as a driver for patients who needed transportation to and from cancer treatments, and for the Red Cross she was treasurer for the local fundraising drive for multiple years. In addition, Janice was always a caregiver to relatives and friends, whether baking goods for them, driving them to appointments, including them in family dinners, or running errands for them. 

 Later in life, she and Tom enjoyed spending winters in Ft. Meyers, Florida. She was intelligent and a fierce competitor, who loved playing games and particularly card games, and rarely missed Wheel of Fortune. She also created lovely needlework and quilts. 

 Janice is survived by five children: David (Cathy) Carlyle of Ames, Iowa, Cindy (Nick) Gettino of Palm Harbor, Florida, Barb Greene-Miller of Palm Springs, California, Alan (Angie) Carlyle of Denison, Iowa, Eric (Julie) Carlyle of Monroe, Georgia. 

 Janice is also survived by 14 grandchildren: Laura (Brian) Bowshier, Jamie (John Michael) Williams, Nicholas (Ashley) Gettino, Tara Allen, Eric (Nella Björnsdotter) Gettino, Patrick Gettino, Mark Gettino, Cari (Craig Higgins) Greene, Marti Greene, Codi (McKade Bess) Greene-Bess, Tucker (Laura Fillman) Greene, Mitch (Becky) Carlyle, Caitlin (Matt Newton) Carlyle, Ethan Carlyle, Noah Carlyle, 26 great-grandchildren, and other nieces and nephews. 

 She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Carlyle, her beloved child, Karen Lynn Carlyle who died in infancy in 1959, her grandson, Levi Greene, and great-grandson, Corbin Gettino. Also preceding her in death were her parents, her brothers Duane, Gerald, and Robert James and her sister, Beverly (James) Simmons, her Uncle Joe and Aunt Viola James, as well as her special niece, Lisa (Jensen) Johnson. 

 Visitation will be held at Huebner Funeral Home in Denison on Wednesday, August 28, from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. The funeral mass will be at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Denison on Thursday, August 29, at 2:00 PM.