On Thursday, November 11, 2021, Janice Madge Rogers peacefully left her home in Eureka to spend the rest of eternity partying on “the other side.”

Her children — Rochelle “Shell” Lockridge, Tangie Markle (Tony Markle, aka “Girlfriend”) and Scott Rogers (Tammy Rogers) – were just one week away from celebrating the day of her birth, November 19, 1944, with a mischievous mother proclaiming she was turning 39 this year (again?) Sadly, her grandchildren – Amber Lockridge (Misha Perron), Jenny Schrer (Kyle Schrer), Tyler Markle and Angie Rogers – will not have that same opportunity to enlighten bewildered family and friends how they were miraculously older than their grandmother. Great-Grandma Janice would’ve been proud of her three great-grandchildren — DJ, Everett and Axel — when they too were face-to-face with the same annual dilemma and responded with one of her life mottos, read by so many sitting around her kitchen table, “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.”

Family was important to Mom. She was born to parents Georgia Fern and Arnold in Newberg, Oregon, as the little sister to Jim, Artie, Richard (“Dick”) and Cecil. She is survived by “Brother Jim” and Dick Shaw, and many nieces and nephews. She was known as “Aunt Jan” or “Mom” to all the kids that grew up at our house. She always had her three kids and three to five more with her. She would want to give a special thank you to Terry and Tom Davis and Jim and Lynette Worthington for always looking out for their Aunt Jan.

With her PACE family, Jan was a self-identified rabblerouser who made it a point to provide those in charge with ideas on “how to improve things around here.” They saw her as a leader and a genuine Golden Girl who was loved and cared for by all. After a “jailbreak” from the local rehab center, we want to thank PACE for providing the services she needed to maintain her independence, dignity and quality of life at home.

Family also included feathered and furry critters. Her pet goose, Hannibal, watched over her while she tended to her gladiola bed, clear back when she was 29 for a decade. His presence comforted her, knowing a goose would eat any terrifying snakes that dared invade her flower beds. And Mom never really got over the loss of her favorite dog, Doobie, who rode shotgun during their many trips to town, once caught “sharing” her Steve’s Coney Island chili dog with stolen bites each time the steering wheel turned his direction.

The story goes (and boy, did Mom have her stories), she once grabbed a hamburger out of the hand of one of her “extra” kids, ran into the bathroom, locked the door and ate it. Mom loved food. Pizza for breakfast? Why not? Her favorite diet? The Seafood Diet. “I see food and I eat it.” At only 5’2” she insisted she wasn’t fat, she was just too short for her weight. She was, like her hero Mae West, full-figured. Mom swore she had no idea what happened to that candid photo of her looking like a lemon in her yellow bathing suit. But we all know — she burned it.

Mom traveled a rough road of health issues throughout her life, and was fond of telling us not to worry; “It’ll all work out.” A few near-death experiences let her know she would not be joining the other side until she had “saved a multitude.” With her passing, though the official cause of death is listed as “cerebrovascular disease,” we know that her generous contributions to family, friends and community have fulfilled her purpose. It was her time to go. When we too have fulfilled our unique purpose here on Earth, Mom will be there to welcome us all, take our hand, and invite us to join the party.

While we wait, and due to COVID concerns, family, friends and acquaintances are invited to hold the date June 21, 2022, for Jan’s final going-away party, when we’ll share stories and give a party she’d be proud of at her favorite swimming hole, Swimmer’s Delight on the Van Duzen River, during the summer solstice.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Humboldt and PACE.

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