Janyce Pearl (Preston) Kelly 1929-2020

KELLY, PRESTON, KEENEY

Posted By: Barry R Huntsinger (email)
Date: 9/12/2020 at 06:14:48

A family graveside service for Janyce Pearl (Preston) Kelly was held on Saturday, September 12, 2020. At that time Janyce and her husband, John LeRoy Kelly were laid to rest at the Swea Township Cemetery located at 4373 40th Ave (CR-P20) Swea City, Iowa.

Janyce Pearl (Preston) Kelly lived a full life, departing this world at age 91 on the day of her wedding anniversary, September 3, 2020. Janyce was the eighth daughter born to Pearl Q (Keeney) and Joseph Wesley Preston on August 21, 1929. Two brothers would later join the family.

Janyce was raised on the Preston family farm west of Swea City, Iowa. She graduated from Swea City High School in 1948. After high school, she travelled to Peoria, Illinois where she lived with her sister Wilma’s family caring for her young niece, Marilyn Jean. Returning to Swea City, she married John Kelly on September 3, 1948 at the Methodist parsonage in Fairmont, MN. Following a honeymoon to Sioux Falls, they made their home briefly with John’s parents Hattie and Otto Kelly before moving to the farm near Armstrong where they lived for over 60 years. John and Janyce raised their family of 5 daughters and 2 sons on the farm, teaching them the values of hard work, frugality, and the companionship of family.
Janyce taught life lessons through the examples and discipline of everyday life; walking beans, gardening, canning, providing delicious meals and finding a way to make them stretch for any unexpected visitors. She exhibited great courage, resilience and strength throughout her life while facing several health challenges and grieving the loss of loved ones. Janyce was proud of her children and supported their career path decisions, often bragging to others about the accomplishments of each, their spouses, and her grandchildren.

Janyce enjoyed having family, friends, neighbors, and others stop by to visit. There were always baked goods on hand to go with a cup of coffee and conversation would linger over the kitchen table. Holidays were special times when she would bake all the traditional goodies. Janyce enjoyed taking cake decorating and other classes to hone her baking skills. In later years, she worked for the Armstrong school district as a bus driver taking students to and from Estherville every day. She enjoyed children and always had a playful spirit with her grandchildren, though her competitive side didn’t allow them to easily win at card or dice games. Janyce also provided day care to several children in the neighborhood and enjoyed keeping tabs on them in later years.

Janyce and John enjoyed travelling. Memorable trips were made to Florida, a tour of Texas, California and Oregon, and a motor home trip to Alaska, making a point to visit friends and family along the way. They visited grandchildren and took in special events as much as possible.
Janyce was a member of First Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday school and active with the UPW. She found great pleasure and friendship with the neighborhood birthday club.

Janyce was preceded in death by her parents, her in-laws, husband John, daughter Judy Ann (Kelly) Opsal, siblings Pauline Jensen, Eloise Linde, Wilma Nelson, Nina Boever, Miriam Anderson, Martha Jane Preston, James Preston and Thomas Preston. She is survived by her sister Phyllis Griffith, sisters-in-law Marilyn Preston and Gwen (Preston) Dodrill, daughters Dorothy (Roger) Graff, Linda (Steve) Scott, Nancy (Cliff) Bergeson, Marilee (Eric) Vogel, sons Timothy (Karma) Kelly and Brian (Jamie) Kelly, grandchildren Sarah, Stephanie, Mathew, Jaclyn, Kelsey, Mallory, Ethan, Megan, Tracy, River and Ruger and 11 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

(Source: Henry-Olson Funeral Home, Estherville, Iowa.)