Janet Brucker Herke

Janet Brucker Herke, 93, of Indianapolis, passed away on March 2, 2026. She was born November 7, 1932, in South Bend, IN, to Lyle and Viola Brucker. Janet grew up in Indianapolis and proudly graduated from Shortridge High School and Butler University. She was a devoted member of Kappa Alpha Theta for 75 years.

Janet worked as an English and home economics teacher while in her twenties, and later in life she enjoyed working at Kappa Alpha Theta’s national headquarters. She joined St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in 1963, volunteering there in various capacities over her many years as a member. Janet was a loving mother, a doting grandmother, and a loyal and caring friend. No one was a better listener or had a more genuine interest in others.

Janet (or Jan) had many passions in life, but they always centered around her family and friends. She was an adventurous traveler, an art lover, and a huge sports fan, especially of tennis and Indiana University and Butler basketball. She joyfully spent winters near the ocean in Vero Beach, Florida, and summer vacations boating on the lakes of Wisconsin and Michigan with her family. Jan was the organizer of yearly family vacations, and her determination to get the family together, share a house, and spend time together created memories that will forever remain in the hearts of her children and grandchildren.

When she bought her condominium on Lake Clearwater in Indianapolis in 1988, a lifelong dream of living on the water came true, and she enjoyed living there for the next 38 years, never tiring of seeing sunrises on the water, enjoying pontoon boat rides, and reading on her porch by the lake. Even the two years she lived in San Francisco in her twenties did not compare to life on the lake in Indianapolis. (She always said that San Francisco was too cold!)

Janet approached all of her pursuits and interests with enthusiasm and gusto. The holidays, especially Christmas, involved numerous days of decorating the house, preparing gifts for friends and family, and hosting dinners. Traditions were a big part of the celebration, and every year the same stories and anecdotes would be told about past Christmases and loved ones she missed and remembered fondly. She was a wonderful cook, and her intense and flavorful spaghetti sauce was legendary, as was her delicious homemade applesauce. Her key lime pie, Hershey Derby-Pie®, and pasta salad recipes remain family favorites, year after year.

Her oldest granddaughter, Rachel, dubbed her “Gaga” long before Lady Gaga came onto the scene. The family later joked that Jan was the original Gaga (the OG) and the name was still going strong after 31 years. She was a constant presence at her six grandchildren’s events, whether they were soccer games, marching band competitions, jazz band concerts, swim meets, or show choir performances. She kept tabs on all of their interests and adventures, and even after they were grown, she frequently wrote encouraging emails to them, reminding them that she was their biggest fan.

Her family also knew that when Jan became a fan of a performer or athlete, she was loyal to the core. From George Clooney to Pete Sampras, from Steve Alford to Jordan Spieth, or from Michael Crawford to Scotty McCreery (to name just a few), she was a tremendously enthusiastic fan. She would travel far and wide, and sometimes even across the country, to see her favorites perform. She convinced her daughter to go to two American Idol concerts and enjoyed them both, in spite of the deafening screams from the (mostly) very young audience that surrounded them. Most recently, Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza captured her attention, and the perfect IU football season carried her through some tough days toward the end of her life. She avidly followed IU basketball (before they were a football school) and watched every game without fail, knowing all of the players’ names and having strong opinions about who needed to come off of the bench and who needed to sit down.

Janet was a voracious reader and especially enjoyed reading historical fiction and memoirs. Her appreciation for history led her to Normandy, France, and she often spoke about how much that trip, above all others, had moved her. Another highlight was when she got to travel to Washington, DC, with her high school classmate and friend, Senator Richard Lugar, when he hosted their entire Shortridge Class of 1950 for a special class reunion in Washington, complete with a private after-hours class tour of the Senate floor and visits to numerous other memorable locations, restaurants, and monuments in DC.

A few years later in 2003, she was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion with President George W. Bush in Indianapolis, and he later invited her back to Washington, DC, to attend a bill-signing ceremony. Touring the White House and getting a behind-the-scenes view of the lawmaking process was a humbling and memorable experience for her.

Another high school classmate and close friend, Dan Wakefield, invited Janet to be an extra in the 1997 movie version of his somewhat notorious book, Going All the Way, which was filmed entirely in Indianapolis. Janet and some of her other Shortridge High School classmates were able to join the filming, and her big-screen debut featured her dressed as a farmer’s wife. (Dan Wakefield played the farmer.) Her family joked that they’d never quite pictured her as a farmer’s wife, so she must have been a great actress. The movie was not a commercial success, but being in the film and attending its world premiere was definitely a great memory and an even better story.

Janet maintained extremely close and long-term friendships with many amazing women, and those friendships sustained her through life’s challenges. Friends from grade school (IPS School 84), Shortridge, Butler, Kappa Alpha Theta, St. Luke’s UMC, and Indianapolis area friends were always just a phone call away, and many joined her for travel adventures that took them around the world. Mediterranean cruises, a visit to Monet’s gardens, and travels to Poland, Hungary, Turkey, and the Czech Republic were among the varied destinations that Janet set off to explore, and these trips were made even more special by having her dear friends by her side.

Favorite trips somewhat closer to home included coastal towns across New England, Mount Rushmore, and even a trip to the Titanic Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She ventured out to the far corners of Florida and also visited several Abraham Lincoln sites in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky with her son, Gregg, and daughter-in-law, Malinda, who shared her love of American history. Every year they would plan a new destination and set off. She never lost her desire to explore and see the larger world. It must be said that after a trip to the Pacific Northwest with her daughter, Allison, it was decided that future trips should not include mountain driving or snowstorm adventures, as the hovering rescue helicopter they encountered near the Timberline Lodge at the top of Mount Hood did not add to her enjoyment of the trip. They were not in need of direct rescue themselves (in spite of what she may have thought), but Jan’s firm edict was that they should pursue flatland and warm-weather adventures only from now on, especially when in a rental car.

Many happy summer days and evenings were spent at the former Indianapolis Tennis Center watching the RCA Championships/Indianapolis Tennis Championships from 1988 to 2009. Years later she would still laugh with her family about the time Andre Agassi lost (quite possibly on purpose) in the first round, and fans began throwing pizza onto the court. Nipper and Chipper, the RCA mascot dogs, were also not impressed. Family members had to take turns using her second season ticket, as she was certainly never giving up her seat. Watching tennis was one of her very favorite pastimes, and she followed professional tennis closely up until the end of her life. Attending the Championships at Wimbledon with her son, Neil, in 1991 was also a very special memory for both of them.

Janet was kind and generous, smart and witty, and a great conversationalist. She could strike up a conversation with anyone, no matter the place or circumstance. She seemed to remember everything, and right up into her 93rd year, she was reminding her family members of things they’d long since forgotten. Her legacy as a loving and caring mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend will live on, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her and loved her. She was unforgettable.

Janet is survived and cherished by her children, Gregg (Malinda) Herke, Allison (Mark) Knuttel, Neil Herke; her grandchildren: Rachel (RJ) Knuttel Thompson, Emma Knuttel, Luke Knuttel, Adam Herke, Kyle Herke, Elise Herke; and her brother James (Gay) Brucker.

The family will receive friends beginning at 2:30pm, and a Celebration of Life service will follow at 4pm on Friday, April 17, at Leppert Mortuary - Nora, 740 E 86th St., Indpls., IN.

You are invited to visit www.leppertmortuary.com and share a memory of Janet, or leave a memorial contribution to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN 46260-2316, or your charity of choice.