Janis Ann Phelps

Born on November 28, 1934, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Janis spent her early years in Farragut, Iowa, near the Pierson family farm. She graduated from Shenandoah High School, where she was active in church and school activities including ballet, acrobatics, basketball, and the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. She learned to cook, pasteurize milk, and iron on a mangle. A lifelong note-taker and journal keeper, she helped care for her younger sister Kathie, detasseled corn, and cleaned the family home to her mother’s high standards.

Janis attended her freshman year at Iowa State University, her father’s alma mater, before moving to Wichita, Kansas, to work at Boeing alongside her father. There, she met George Clayton Phelps, who was finishing his chemistry degree at Wichita State University. After her father’s sudden passing at home in Iowa while the family was in Estes Park, Colorado, in June 1956, Janis and George were married on January 20, 1957. George entered Army service in El Paso, Texas, and their daughter Sheri was born in 1959. After military retirement, they moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where their son Steven was born in 1966.

In Omaha, Janis became active in community service, including Young Matrons and the Assistance League, and served as Vice President and President of the Omaha Mrs. Jaycees — where she especially loved baking birthday cakes for the orphans program. She later shortened her name to “Jan” and was known for her leadership and warmth. She and George were proud supporters of the Presbyterian Church of the Cross, the Omaha Playhouse, and the Joslyn Art Museum. They built a beautiful and rewarding life together at Skyline Woods Country Club.

Janis enjoyed bowling, later picking up golf, and found joy in decorating, gardening, cooking, and entertaining. She loved Post-it notes, notebooks, and handwritten conversations with loved ones, to-do lists — noting her world with details, receipts and organization. She also had a legendary sweet tooth, with chocolate being her daily indulgence. An extra stash in the house could alway be found. A devoted daughter, she cared for her mother Loretta for many years.

Some of her most treasured memories were made at the family cabin in Estes Park, Colorado, built by her grandparents in 1921. There, she enjoyed picnics by the stream, washing clothes in a metal tub, gathering pine cones for fires, and walks in the woods. Yearly fireworks up on the rocks became tradition with numerous loved ones which created returning for generations to come.

In 2023, Janis moved from Omaha to Richmond, Texas, for hospice care, where she spent her final 2 years blessed by dedicated care, love and support from her daughter Sheri Dempsey and son-in-law Mark as well as visits from her grandchildren Michael Fasching, Heather Baxter (Mike), Hannah Fasching, and great-grandson Wyatt Baxter. She is also survived by her son Steven Phelps (Kimberley) and granddaughter Shannon Phelps of Chandler, Arizona, as well as her devoted sister Kathleen “Kathie” Spies of Parker, Colorado, and nieces Melissa Spies and Karrie Spies. Kathie, Melissa, and Karrie and her daughter Allie cherished a final visit with Janis in April 2025 before her peacefully passing.

Janis was preceded in death by her husband, George Clayton Phelps (1935–2014); her parents Loretta Jean Pierson Glennie (1913–2004) and Kenneth Theodore Pierson (1911–1956); and her brother Larry Kenneth Pierson (1933–2018). She will be laid to rest beside George at Brittin Cemetery in Elkhorn, Nebraska, where he received military honors.

Janis lived a long, full life filled with love, friendship, purpose, opportunities to travel and joy. A private celebration of life will be held in her honor.

Jan and George favored charitable donations to Cystic Fibrosis and Multiple Sclerosis or any other you prefer is greatly appreciated.