Janice Kazmerzak, 90

Janice Kazmerzak, loving wife, doting mother, and devoted Catholic, passed away peacefully in Red Oak on May 31, 2024, in the company of her husband of nearly 70 years and other loved ones. After 90 years of unequaled memory recall, endless patience, engaging conversations, and unwavering spirituality, she was escorted into heaven by angels.
Born Frances Janice McNamara on Jan. 3, 1934, in Hetland, S.D., Janice grew up on a farm. She handled all the chores of a farm hand and shared wild rides with her siblings on a red Hiawatha Doodle Bug before transitioning to an always-polished 1949 Studebaker. Janice’s love of school and learning was punctuated by a day of hooky the last week of her senior year. After graduating salutatorian from Lake Preston High School in 1952, she turned the tables and began teaching in a one-room, coal-heated schoolhouse in rural South Dakota.
She soon took on responsibilities that left little room for a life in formal education. Her twinkling blue eyes, joyful smile, and quick wit caught the attention of a classmate a year her junior, and after a few years of effort, he convinced her to tie the knot. Janice and Larry married on June 28, 1954, and within eight years she was mom to five children. The sixth came soon thereafter, and Janice and Larry resettled the family in Red Oak. Once there, they expanded the family again, and Janice was now mom to nine. She nurtured their children with boundless tolerance, kindness, cheer, and love through triumphs, travails, and milestones big and small. She excelled as a keen conversationalist through her last day, connecting with each of her loved ones until her final breath.
Janice is survived by Larry, her devoted husband of nearly 70 years; her children, Tom (April), Mary (John), Richard (Deb), Paul (Maria), Jim (Jackie), Lisa (Dan), John, and Karen (David); her grandchildren, Travis (Maranda), Joel (Brie), Ruth, Jack, Ben, Carly (Jared), Genesis (Riko), Natalia, and Ingrid; her great-grandchildren, Rayna, Lincoln, Layla, Owen, Sage, Amelia, Roman, and Valentina; her sister, Mary; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her son, Mark; her grandchildren, Seth, Ethan, and Claire; her sisters, Dorothy and Judy; and her brother, Bill.
A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 1510 Highland Drive, Red Oak, Iowa 51566. Rosary will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 7, at the Nelson Boylan LeRette Chapel, 1995 G Avenue, Red Oak (west of Red Oak on Old Highway 34 at G Avenue), with visitation to follow until 7 p.m.
One of Janice’s other passions was reading books, so in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Red Oak Iowa Public Library (www.redoak.lib.ia.us), of which she was a card-carrying member.