Janice Arleen Kane

Janice Arleen (Kitchen Smith) Kane, 80, passed away on June 20, 2021 in Mesa, Arizona following a battle with cancer. Janice was born on December 15, 1940 to the late Florence Holst Kitchen and the late Levi Kitchen in Scott County, Iowa. She spent her growing up years on her parent’s farm in rural Clinton County, Iowa with her brother Ernie Kitchen. She enjoyed playing the accordion and performed at the Clinton centennial. She graduated with honors in 1959 from DeWitt High.

Janice married the late Marvin Smith in 1961. She worked as a statistical typist, a secretary, and in the collections department at a bank before staying home to take care of their three children. She enjoyed being home with her children, the late Bryon Smith, Brent Smith and Tammy Smith. Once all of the children were in school, Janice went back to work serving most of her years in a print shop that she ran with her husband in Davenport, Iowa.

After their youngest child graduated high school and moved to Arizona, Janice and Marvin decided to move to Arizona as well in 1985. They were blessed that all of their children decided to relocate there. Janice worked as a typesetter for several print shops in the area, until she was hired at America West Airlines where she worked in the revenue accounting department until she retired in 2001. She and Marvin loved square dancing together and traveled to many state festivals including Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

After her first husband passed, Janice enjoyed getting involved in her senior community, including a singles group where she served as treasurer and a mixed bowling league. At a clubhouse function, she was privileged to meet Milton Kane, who she married in 2007. They have had many adventures since that time, including spending their summers in North Dakota and their winters in Arizona.

Janice loved to travel. In a summary of her life, she highlighted all the places she visited both in childhood and adulthood. Her first big trip as a child involved going out west to the Rocky Mountains. She and Marvin enjoyed taking their kids to Kings Island, Ohio and to Fredericksburg, Virginia. One of the benefits of working at the airline was the inexpensive flights she could take. As a result she went to San Francisco for clam chowder, Seattle to see Pikes Place Fish Market, New York to visit the Statue of Liberty, and many other places. Together,she and Milton visited England for a bus tour of England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and took cruises to Alaska, the eastern Caribbean, and the Panama Canal. Overall, she has visited 42 of the state capitals.

Janice Kane is survived by her husband of 14 years, Milton Kane; her daughter, Tammy Smith (Eric Brice); her son, Brent (Jennie) Smith; grandsons, Armani Wilson, Levi Smith, Caleb Smith, and Drew Smith; great-granddaughter Aiyana Evans, brother Ernie (Linda) Kitchen, several nieces and nephews, and many wonderful extended family members from the Kane family. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Florence and Levi Kitchen, her husband Marvin Smith, and her son Bryon.