Janet Lewis Hanna

Janet was born on January 23, 1934, in Kansas City, Missouri. The daughter of J.V. Lewis and Edith Gorman Lewis, she and her brother Jack grew up in Brookside. All her life she never lived more than a few blocks from Wornall Road, and she often traveled that corridor by streetcar. She attended Southwest High School, where she met Frosty Hanna; they married in 1959, and together raised three children: Todd, Trey, and Jennie.

She was a devoted mother, as well as a loving grandmother to Jo, Walker and Garrett. She showered her children and grandchildren with love and attention; she took an avid interest in their lives and encouraged them in their passions. A question she often posed to her grandchildren was: “What’s going on in your life?” No matter their answers, detailed questions followed.

She worked as a switchboard operator, an art instructor at the Nelson Art Gallery, and after her children finished high school, she earned her nursing degree at the University of Kansas and placed in the Nursing Honor Society. She cared for patients at Baptist Memorial on the Psychiatric unit and at KU Medical Center on the Hematology unit.

Janet was an artist and creator. Her love of the arts started when she would sit with her father, J.V., in his basement studio and watch him paint and build. She developed numerous talents and skills in design, draftsmanship, and color. She was always finding ways to make her world more beautiful, or to delight others. She sewed bed quilts, curtains for all three of the houses she tirelessly refurbished, costumes for ice-skating performances and for Halloween. She painted canvases, shirts and baskets; refinished furniture; created intricate beadwork and mosaic-covered yard art.

She loved reading, gardening, black coffee, decorating for Christmas and Halloween, garage sales and thrift stores, and taking “mental pictures” at scenic overlooks. Travel was a joy to her whether it was walking the Lake District of England, riding mules to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, or many camping and canoe trips with families from Boy Scout Troop 76. The vacation home she and Forest created in Sedona, Arizona, was a refuge and joy; they spent many happy days in the high desert with friends and family.

She was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and an avid donor to many charities, especially those supporting children, women and families.

By 2024, she’d lost most dexterity in her hands but her desire to create remained strong. With the help of her grandsons Walker and Garrett, she designed and constructed a diorama of her father’s studio, which was chosen for a curated exhibit at the Toy and Miniature Museum. At 90, she was the oldest exhibiting artist.

Her years at Kingswood were spent enjoying friends old and new, cocktails on the patio, refreshing her fairy garden to delight passersby, and volunteering in the library every week. The family appreciates the care provided by the Kingswood Assisted Living staff and by Ascend Hospice.

Janet was preceded in death by her parents Edith Gorman Lewis and J.V. Lewis, brother Jack Lewis, stepmother Inez Lewis, and many beloved aunts, uncles, and grandparents. She loved her dogs and cats and mourned losing each one: Honey, Heidi, Smokey, Mister, and Maddie.

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Forest W. Hanna; children, Todd Hanna (Moira Rowley), Trey Hanna (Beth), and Jennie Hanna (Philip Stephens); grandchildren Garrett Stephens, Walker Stephens, and Johanna Morgan; sister-in-law Mary Ann Olson; beloved nieces and nephews; and lifelong friends.

The family will hold a celebration of life on Thursday, June 4, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at HJ's Community Center.

In lieu of flowers, her family suggests a donation to Harvesters Community Food Network or Heifer International, both charities Janet supported for many years.

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God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. - Reinhold Niebuhr

Every exit is an entry somewhere else. - Tom Stoppard

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance. - Kahlil Gibran

On the road again, Goin' places that I've never been, Seein' things that I may never see again, And I can't wait to get on the road again - Willie Nelson