Janice L Darby

She was born on December 25, 1942, and was lovingly adopted by James Edgar and Mabel Pauline (Arnoldi) Ward.

She graduated from St. Clair High School and attended and completed her RN nursing degree from Barnes School of Nursing in St. Louis, MO. She later completed both her BSN and MSN from the University of Missouri-Columbia while working full time. Jan dedicated over 30 years of her career as a registered nurse at Ellis Fischer Cancer Center where she was known for her compassion and commitment to patient care, touching hundreds of lives.

Jan was united in marriage to Robert Darby on July 31, 1965 in St. Clair and he survives.

In her free time, Jan was an avid reader who loved getting lost in a good book. She and her husband, Robert, shared a love of travel and spent many memorable trips together, including a remarkable RV journey all the way to Alaska and back, accompanied by their sweet dog, Molly. Jan also loved spending time with their numerous nieces and nephews, her cousins, her close friends, and with their community of neighbors.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Carol Kable (Bill) and her siblings-in-law.

A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025 at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia, MO. Graveside services will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Carrollton, MO.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Barnes Hospital School of Nursing.