Janice Kay Wiltse

Janice Kay Wiltse, cherished wife, mother, stepmother, and grandmother, passed away while surrounded by family at home in Mesa, Arizona on November 25, 2024 at the age of 66, after a hard-fought battle with endometrial cancer.

Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 13, at Valley of the Sun Mortuary and Cemetery, 10940 E Chandler Heights Rd, Chandler, AZ 85248. This will be followed by a Celebration of Life lunch at the Pavillion at Las Sendas Golf Club, 7555 E Eagle Crest Dr., Mesa AZ 85207 at 1:30 p.m. For those who are unable to attend in person, the service will be available by live broadcast at https://www.liveviralmedia.com/clients/wiltse.

For those who know in advance that they will be able to attend the Celebration of Life, please let the family know for planning purposes by RSVP-ing at https://evite.me/RSzXnBY7Wx, however an RSVP is not required and all are welcome and encouraged to attend to celebrate Jan.

If you wish to make a donation in her honor, please consider Hospice of the Valley, who provided Jan and family with exceptional comfort and support during the most challenging of times, or the American Cancer Society.

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Born January 13, 1958 to Glenn Edward and Jacqueline Gertrude Hoffmann in Rochelle, Illinois, Jan was raised in Hoffman Estates with her beloved sister Vicky. She graduated from Conant High School in 1976, where she was a member of the high school varsity tennis team.

Jan began her college journey at Illinois State University, where she met Scott Boward, her first husband and the father of her son Jeffrey. Always drawn to new experiences, she left Illinois for sunny Arizona, where she received her accounting degree in 1981 from Arizona State University. Always the social butterfly, she met many lifelong friends along the way.

Jan joined State Farm Insurance in Tempe, Arizona in 1984, as an Accounting Supervisor. Over the years, she worked her way up the management ranks, including roles in Dallas, Texas, and Bloomington, Illinois. As she lived, worked, traveled, and had children, her kindness went everywhere she did, building a life around her filled with people drawn to her warmth.

Her life truly began when her children were born, and she poured herself into motherhood. After marrying Randy in 1993, she welcomed two additional children as a stepmother, who she helped raise and loved as if they were her own. Never wanting to miss a fieldtrip, soccer game, basketball game, or play, she retired from State Farm in 2001. Everything her children loved, she loved too, and she showed her devotion in her own characteristic way — with her presence, her time, and her never ending support. She volunteered as the school athletic director’s assistant, which allowed her to be closer to her children throughout high school, and helped her children shine on the stage as a volunteer with the theater program.

Her presence in her family’s life was a steady fact of life. She built her home in Bloomington into a sanctuary and waystation for all manner of rowdy teenagers. She knew everything there was to know about each of her children’s friends, loving them as if they were her own. She loved a house full of the buzzing hum of life and chatter, and kept the soda and treats flowing to bring as many people in as could fit.

Through all the years of giving of herself to others, Jan never lost sight of the things that brought her joy and made her feel like the best possible version of herself. A lifelong Disney fan, she made regular pilgrimages to the parks with another close friend, also a “Disney fanatic.” The two of them could be seen time and time again at the parks over the years, fanny packs in tow, detailed itineraries in hand, and a deep dedication to their shared tradition. Never one to keep joy to herself, she brought her children into the fold to share in this passion, who are now lifelong “Disney adults.” She led the family on trips her entire life, well into her children’s adulthood, inviting spouses and grandchildren to join in her unbridled sense of fun and joy.

Jan was happiest and perhaps most herself in the sun, surrounded by the people she loved, active and busy. She could reliably be found on the golf course, where she played her favorite and least favorite sport, depending on the round (or even the hole!). While she loved golf, what she truly valued most was the opportunity to spend valuable time with her friends and family, delighting us with the occasional well-timed curse word. She loved playing tennis and pickleball, attending Suns games as a season ticket holder, and truly cherished her regular walks with countless friends around the community. Like with all things she loved, she dedicated herself to activity with an unrivaled fierceness, and continued walking 2-3 miles a day even during the worst parts of her illness. Unsurprisingly to all who know her, she always had a line of friends wanting to join her daily walks during treatment, requiring a calendar to keep track of who was walking with her on days her children were unavailable.

When at home (and not watching Disney movies!), she loved playing cards or board games with her family, or just having everyone together visiting and telling stories. No matter where she lived, her home was always a sanctuary for those she loved. She loved seeing and reading to her grandchildren and attending their school and athletic events.

No matter what life threw at her, Jan was a pillar of quiet strength, and possessed the sort of innate kindness that brought people together everywhere she went. Her unwavering fortitude and commitment to joy in the face of horrible pain was of the sort that made the people who loved her wonder how any one person could possibly be that strong. But she was the rare person who truly was that strong. Her light warmed every room she walked into, and the world is undoubtedly a colder place without her. The only comfort is knowing that that light is now a piece of every person who survives her.

Jan was also a devoted Lutheran, whose faith and dedication to prayer guided her throughout her life and brought her comfort during any obstacle she faced, including throughout her treatment.

Jan was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Jacqueline Hoffmann, and her stepfather, Ernest Roman.

She is survived by her husband, Randy Wiltse, children Jennifer, Jeffrey, Jessica, and Matthew, their spouses John Aaron Douglas, Asif Becher, Jeff Christianson, and Jon Bashford, and grandchildren Maddox, Ryker, and Lincoln Christianson. She is also survived by her sister Victoria (Timothy) McGibbon and nieces Shannon, Erin, and Caitrin McGibbon.