Janice E Harness

Jan experienced the life that one often reads about in fables. As a child, her family lived in Planeview, Kansas. The entire community consisted of extremely poor families, and as such she was faced with the potential of having to do without many of the things that people typically take for granted. However, rather than simply curse and endure deprivation, she was made to realize that through work, deprivation could be eased. Accordingly, Jan began working at a very early age.

Each morning before school, Jan and her sisters would ride with her father delivering milk and other items on a route that he maintained, and after school and on weekends they would haul coal, deliver newspapers, mow lawns, etc. Through such efforts Jan was able to purchase clothes and supplies for school. This necessary labor instilled a severe work ethic that she carried through her life and passed on as a legacy.

Jan married at the young age of 16, and had two sons, Dave and Doug. Youthful marriages often do not last, and hers was no exception. Jan became a single mother in 1965. Rather than shrink from the challenge, she managed to work as a secretary to support the family. In four years she managed to purchase her very first home, a brand new one in Denver. She was very proud of this accomplishment since she had managed to do it all on her own. A couple of years later she followed that success with the purchase of her first new car, a Plymouth Scamp.

Maintaining the household required a joint effort, and it was at this time that her work ethic was introduced to her sons. Everyone had to pull their weight, and woe to the one who failed in that obligation. Even the habits of her youth were handed down. If one wanted something other than necessities, it could only be obtained via labor. Thus, her sons learned the tradeoff between shoveling snow from driveways and other such endeavors as the means of accumulating funds. Just as Jan had learned in her youth, her sons became aware of the essential tool needed to succeed in life; the willingness to work. It was to become a significant contribution.

Jan enjoyed life in her simple home in Colorado. She was a huge fan of football, and during the season her neighbors could hear her cheering and criticizing the teams that were battling it out on any given Sunday. Through several years Jan continued to hold her own while working as a secretary, always hoping for a brighter day.

That day occurred in 1974 when she travelled to Michigan to visit her lifetime school chum Leota Otti. It was during that visit that she met Don Harness. Don was a patent attorney who had a real passion for the world of horse racing. Jan and Don hit it off and were married in November 1974. In an instant, the world Jan had built in Denver was gone and was traded for a completely different lifestyle in Michigan. Though she did not realize it at the time, the change was to be her biggest test.

Jan had effectively become Cinderella. She had transitioned from humble beginnings into a world of high society. While many would consider such a change to be an opportunity for lavishness and ease, Jan maintained her need to labor and achieve on her own. Rather than have maids who tended to things while the lady of the house lounged about, Jan eschewed such notions and instead conducted herself in a fashion that was totally alien to her newfound peer group. And when the time came for her to accompany Don to formal events, Jan both looked and displayed the part of the most elegant lady present at the function. Her carriage and mannerism came naturally, and it was somewhat amusing to witness the haughty and surprised reactions that her elegance and beauty brought out in those who assumed such roles were theirs by divine right. Unfortunately, Jan was not immune to the thinly veiled condescension that was occasionally directed toward her, and it was indeed distressing to see the times when she would allow people of lesser character to bring her down because of her modest past. It was the source of a slight insecurity that unjustifiably troubled her, an insecurity that she could not be convinced to ignore.

Jan’s life as a true lady enabled her to enjoy things that she could only imagine before. She traveled to England and other European countries several times, spent many winters at their condo in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, and even travelled across the United States in a motorhome.

Don and Jan sold their thoroughbred ranch and moved from Michigan to Albuquerque in 1985. They built a home high on a mountain that overlooked the city, and life brought even greater things and she and Don enjoyed the retirement years going to the country club, playing tennis, and entertaining their many friends. Don and Jan were at their peak at this time of their life together.

In 2005 Don was taken from Jan, and her solitude became strongly felt. As she saw herself spiraling downward spiritually, life gave her another boost when another grandson was born in November 2007. She made the decision to move to Georgia to help care for Glenn, her newfound reason to exist. Jan’s days were spent giving rides in the stroller, which as a toddler developed, became trips to the park next to the train depot in Kennesaw. Jan and Glenn would spend hours playing, exploring, visiting the train museum, and similar activities. Glenn’s youth restored Jan’s youth in a fashion.

As Jan became renewed, she began to assist her son Doug in the remodeling of homes that was his side business. She helped him completely rebuild an eight unit building in Cartersville, doing the most demanding of work to include painting. In her early 70’s Jan had returned to her labor-intensive days of youth, and she wholeheartedly enjoyed every moment of it. The lady of society had returned to her basic nature, and through her construction efforts and the trips to the park with Glenn, she had again found a niche in life that was completely hers.

As time passed, Jan began to have trouble with her memory. It was not serious at first, and it was assumed to be the typical trouble experienced by just about everybody as they age. However, the decline began to accelerate, and her personality began to change as well. Jan became much less cheerful and would become angry and frustrated when she could not function as she expected. She was diagnosed with the beginnings of Dementia, but as is typical with those who suffer from the affliction, she refused to accept the verdict. As always, she chose to fight, but in this fight the deck was stacked against her.

On August 8, 2023, this shining light was extinguished. The girl who had spent her youth in total poverty, the young woman who had worked her way up to independence, the exquisite lady who had been blessed with an incredible opportunity to live life at its finest for many decades, and the grandmother who enjoyed the simple pleasures of escorting a toddler around town was gone. While the vacancy she leaves in our hearts is painful to endure, it is overshadowed by a singular feeling of gratitude, total and complete gratitude. We are grateful for those who helped to mold her life, those her brought her smiles, those who provided challenges for her to overcome, and for the help and love she gave to others. We are saddened to see her leave, but we are so very grateful for the fact she had been here with us.