Jane "Janie" Crans Jett

Our mother turned 70 on November 14, 2015. This was a milestone none of us thought she would make. We never thought she would turn 67, then we thought 68 and then amazingly enough she made it to 69. She proved herself to be a feisty, stubborn-assed old woman that never gave up and just kept going on. Despite losing her vision and her hearing and the constant physical assault on her frail body, she just kept on fighting. She was one of the smartest people we knew. She was very patriotic and loved a good political argument. She knew more about politics than any one we knew. She devoted her life to helping people with mental and physical disabilities and took great pride in that work. She had a strong work ethic. She had a deep faith in God, though strong, that she often kept to herself, but always remained steadfast to that faith. Growing up we never had much when it came to material things, but the one thing my sister and I had, was a mother and a father that worked hard every day to provide for us. Things were not always easy and there were struggles, but she and my Dad were always together. My sister and I grew up seeing many of our friends with divorced parents and broken families, but my parents remained loving and loyal to each other. They always kept us together and they were always there for us. When my father died in 2002, we thought how is she going to survive without him, truth be told, she was the really strong one. This past Wednesday, November 18, 2015 my mother was called home to heaven and is again with my father, George the love of her life and her beloved parents Robert and Martha Crans and sister Kaci.

She is survived in death by her sister Ranie Gray and her family, her sister Marni and her husband Bill Dunn and their family. She leaves behind her daughter Ranie, her granddaughters Shelby and Makayla and great-grandson Kelby. Her son, Eric and his wife Kellie and her grandchildren, Lindsey, Hannah, Sarah and Joshua. With heavy hearts we say good bye to our mother, but we will not mourn her death, but rather celebrate her life and new found freedom. The pain is gone and with eyes wide open she can again see my father’s smile and the dimple she so often talked about. Give Dad a hug for us all. We love you and not a day will go bye that you are not missed and thought of fondly. Godspeed to you Mom. The following is one of the last lines of my grandfather’s and my mother’s favorite and often quoted poems.

“And the night shall be filled with music,

And the cares, that infest the day,

Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,

And as silently steal away.”