Janice Marie Wilbourn, 77, of Olathe, KS, went to be with her Lord on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. 

Janice was born May 17, 1943, to Rubel T. and Zora E. Willingham in Cordova, Alabama. She spent most of her childhood in Mobile, Alabama, and later moved with her family to Grenada, Mississippi, where she graduated from high school in 1961. 

Janice was a hard worker and always wanted to “keep busy”—a trait she learned from her mother, who ran her own business as a professional hair dresser. Janice spent most of her career as an office manager with a civil engineering company in Grenada. 

In 1990, she and her daughter, Olivia, moved to Olathe, Kansas. She worked at Payne & Brockway, P.A. until her retirement in 2010. She also worked part-time at J.C. Penney until her retirement. Janice, however, did not like the word “retirement.” She worked at Target until 2012.

In her spare time, she volunteered for Nazarene Healthcare Fellowship, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, and her church, Lenexa Baptist Church. 

Work, however, had a two-fold purpose for Janice. Her family was a top priority, and as a working mother, she wanted to be a role model for her daughters, Bethany and Olivia, and provide them with the best opportunities in life. She passed on those work-life principles to her grandchildren as well. 

Janice’s main purpose in life, however, was her faith in Jesus Christ. She became a Christian at a young age, and her faith never wavered even during the most difficult times in her life. Even in the face of death, her priority was to make sure her children and grandchildren would all be with her in heaven one day. 

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Thomas E. Willingham. She is survived by her daughters, Bethany Wright and her husband, Kevin, and Olivia Malone and her husband, Andy. She also is survived by her grandchildren Trevor Wright and his wife, Ameira Emam; Nathan Wright; Madeline Malone; Jackson Malone; and Ellis Malone; and her ex-husband, Sam Wilbourn, Memphis, Tennessee.  

Janice never wanted anyone to make a fuss over her, so it came as no surprise to her family that her last wishes were for cremation with a private family gathering. In lieu of flowers, you can make donations to Janice’s favorite charity:  Samaritan’s Purse: Operation Christmas Child. Condolences may be sent to Janice’s family at 15328 S. Blackfoot Dr., Olathe, KS, 66062.