Janet Marie (nee Cates) Krichbaum, 99, of Mansfield, passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2026, following a brief illness. She was born near Lucas, Ohio to Virgil J. and Geraldine (nee Schroeder) Cates on July 2, 1926, the oldest of 4 children. She lived her entire life in Richland County.
Janet is survived by her son, Timothy P. Krichbaum (and dear friend, Janet Bussert), Columbus, Ohio, grandchildren Ryan M. Krichbaum of Delaware, Ohio, Jason L. (Tawnya) Metzger of Circleville, Ohio, and Christopher S. Metzger and partner Josefa and her daughter Cyenna of Milford, Michigan, great grandchildren Nathaniel, Courtney, and Emily Krichbaum, and Josie Metzger, and by numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 74 years, Edwin S. Krichbaum; her parents, her sisters Evaloe Durig and Loretta Hass, and her brother Virgil L. Cates; and by daughters Desiree H. Metzger and Jennifer M. Summers, and by son, Edwin V. Krichbaum.
Her family moved from Mansfield to Adario when she was six, and it was there, at the one-room Murray Schoolhouse, that she met her future husband, Edwin, in 1932. She was in the first grade, and he was in third grade. They reconnected again in Mansfield after World War 2 by a stroke of good fortune and were married in December 1946.
Janet enjoyed antiquing and travelling around the countryside with Ed, and they shared a mutual passion for art glass and art pottery. She will be sorely missed by family and friends and remembered for her loving kindness, generous spirit, work ethic, spunk, and sense of humor.
A private service for immediate family will be held at the Diamond Street Home of Wappner Funeral Directors, 98 South Diamond St. Mansfield. Interment will be at the Adario Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Echo Hospice of Ohio, 690 Taylor Road, Suite 110, Gahanna, OH 43230.
