Janelle "Jan" Rae Duntz

Janelle (Jan) Rae Duntz, age 64, passed away Thursday, March 11, 2021 at Miami Valley South Hospital in Centerville, Ohio after fighting breast cancer for 21 years. Jan, the youngest of four children, was born in Worthington, MN February 16, 1957 to Ervin and Marian Krueger. The family moved to Hawthorne, CA in December of that year and Jan would grow up in Hawthorne and graduate from Hawthorne High School. In her senior year she was chosen Captain of the drill team. She started work as an Air Force civil service employee at Los Angeles Air Force Station in El Segundo, CA three days after graduation. She would work there for 35 years advancing from a GS-3 secretary to a GS-15 director level position in financial management. For many years she attended college at night and weekends to earn her bachelor’s in business administration. In 1990 she was named Outstanding Civilian of the Year. Her position at retirement was Director, Program Control, Space Based Infrared Systems Wing, with a budget exceeding one billion dollars a year. She was pleased to be invited to the launch of one of the satellites at Cape Kennedy in 2011. She was a proud patriot who valued the freedoms and liberties God gave every American.

Because of her breast cancer Jan retired in 2010 and moved to Beavercreek to be with future husband Dave. They married in 2013 between surgery and radiation treatment. Jan loved Beavercreek. She enjoyed the Midwest values, four seasons, pace of life, and living in a country environment without the highway congestion. Despite the many hardships and pain of cancer and years of chemotherapy she always kept a positive and cheerful attitude, determined to live a full normal life as much as possible by moving all her worries onto Jesus’s shoulders. Because of her warm and sincere personality her life was filled with many friends. Jan also loved to visit new places. She traveled to all 50 states as well as the Canadian Rockies, England, Scotland, Israel, Germany, Norway, Mexico, and Nova Scotia. She especially enjoyed her trip to Alaska with Dave in 2018 where she drove a dog sled pulled by huskies and their trip to Norway in 2020 to see the Northern lights. Jan was a great co-pilot and loved flying with Dave on numerous trips in their small plane, or just enjoying a local flight to view the scenery. She also enjoyed cross stitching and reading and was a member of the Pink Flamingo Book Club. She was a member of the 3 B’s women’s breast cancer support group, the VFW Auxiliary, and lead the administrative team for EAA Chapter 382 Young Eagles giving free airplane rides to kids. Dave and Jan spent winters from 2012 to 2019 at the Spruce Creek flying community near Daytona Beach, FL where Jan enjoyed being a member of Women of Wings. Jan was a devoted Christian and participated in two lady’s weekly bible studies and with Dave in a small group.

Jan is survived by her husband Dave and brother Arvid Krueger (Sandee) of Vermillion, SD, two sisters Cheryl Wilson (Roy) of Westville, Indiana, and Sherlene Ramsey (Ray) of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, stepson Mark Duntz of Studio City, CA, seven nieces and nephews, 14 great nieces and nephew, and one great great nephew. Her funeral service will be Monday, March 22 at Kirkmont Presbyterian Church, 3377 Shakertowne Road, Beavercreek, OH 45434. Visitation starts at 1200 noon with service at 1 pm followed by a short graveside service at Mt Zion Park Cemetery, Beavercreek. The service will be live streamed on the Kirkmont You Tube:https://youtu.be/d6cGla694BY as well as the church’s website Kirkmont.org. In lieu of flowers please donate in Jan’s memory to Kirkmont Presbyterian Church.