John David Janis

John was born on June 16, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois to Edward Janis (born Jendrzejski) and Bernice Boldt. Growing up there, he graduated from Lane Technical High School in 1970. Marrying his high school sweetheart Toni Barker Janis, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed overseas during the Vietnam War. After the service, John attended the University of Illinois at Chicago. He worked as a draftsman on projects in Illinois, Washington, and Georgia before settling in Eugene, Oregon in 1986, working for Weyerhaeuser Paper Company and raising his family there. John left Weyerhaeuser in 2014 and spent the rest of his career as a consultant on civil engineering projects around the country.

Quiet by nature, John showed his love through daily acts of kindness and support for those that he cared for. He loved to cook dinner for six, regardless of how many people were at the table, and to work on various projects while at home or visiting his children. Family vacations were spent visiting relatives and lifelong friends in Chicago. Gifted with the driving stamina of a long-haul trucker, he was able to drive cross-country in record time, fueled only by black coffee from his giant Thermos and listening to National Public Radio, especially if his favorite show, Car Talk, was on. He had a dry sense of humor that can still be found in his children and grandchildren.

Widowed in 1991, John was blessed to find love and marriage again with Margaret (Meg) Whipp in 2001 and to raise his stepson, Clay. In retirement, John loved traveling with Meg, tending his raised garden beds, and spending time visiting with his children and their families at their homes spread out across the country and catching up in-between visits over the phone.

John is survived by his wife Margaret Whipp; his children Abram (Deborah) Janis; Ely Janis; Simeon (Kayla) Janis; Rachael Storms (Nathan); Clay Whipp; his grandchildren, Maxfield, Zoë, Clara, Declan, and Porter; and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, his brothers Michael and Edward Janis, his first wife, Toni Barker Janis, and her parents Tony and Alberta Barker.

Memorial services will be held on July 13, 2025, in Eugene at the Hilyard Community Center (2580 Hilyard St., Eugene, OR, 97405) from 1-4PM and August 2, 2025, in the Chicago area.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oregon Public Broadcasting and Food for Lane County.