Jane "Yenna" Carolyn Kleinsteuber Cartter

On June 15, 2026, we lost our most beloved aunt Jane. She dearly loved all of her family and friends but never hesitated to tell any of us exactly what was on her mind, whether good or bad, or even flip us the bird if she felt it was warranted. She was a spitfire and had a quick wit and a keen sense of humor, right up to the end, and frequently made us all laugh (and sometimes shock us) with the remarks she made in any situation.

Jane, also referred to as Janie, Jenna, and Yenna by her loved ones, was the youngest and the last surviving child of the five born to Walter and Naomi (nee Trautwein) Kleinsteuber.

She was married to Fred H. Cartter for 58 years at the time of his passing. Together they owned and operated for many years, Fred’s Disposal Service, which served Leitchfield and the surrounding communities. They were also the gatekeepers for the Löchober Community on Nolin Lake where they made many lifelong friends that were more like “framily”. Over the many decades living at Löchober, Janie took in countless stray dogs and spoiled them rotten with hamburgers from Hardees or fried chicken livers from KFC, and bowls of ice cream before bedtime. No trip to town was complete without bringing home a treat for her beloved pooches, as she affectionately called them.

She looked forward to visits from family, whether for an afternoon lunch-date, or a long weekend spent playing card games. Many hours were spent playing UNO or Spite & Malice. One of her other favorite past times was watching QVC. With the recent news of QVC filing Chapter 11, her family suspects, but it is not confirmed, that it was due to her lack of orders these past few months.

Jane also had her own dictionary of words she made up over the years, which became part of our everyday vocabulary. Words like Trinkie, Fluff, Gommed-up, Smoehead, and Splunked*. Then there were some of her comments such as, “We waited for you like one dog waits for another” or “If you don’t like what we’re having, go to McDonalds!”, and “Hey, do you like fish? How about perch?” and then she would promptly hold up her middle finger.

In addition to her husband and parents, Jane was preceded in death by her siblings, Dr. Walter “Bud” (Janet) Kleinsteuber, Jr., Betty (Nat) Powers, Doris Unthank, and Bill Kleinsteuber; as well as her niece, Maggie (Phil) Russo.

Survivors include her many beloved nieces and nephews, Phyllis (Gerald) Stribling, Ronnie (Doreen Miller) Unthank, who were also her amazing caregivers in her final days, Alan (Liz) Unthank, and Michael (Sharilyn) Unthank; John (Kim) Kleinsteuber, Kathy Fox, and Dr. Ken Kleinsteuber; Tim (Diana) Powers and Tom (Glorian) Powers; Lynn Smith, Kurt (Dana) Kleinsteuber, Jimmy Kleinsteuber, Johnny (Hendre) Kleinsteuber, and David (Julie) Kleinsteuber; as well as numerous great-nieces/nephews and great-great-nieces/nephews; a sister-in-law, Jeanette Kleinsteuber; and special friend & caregiver, Richie Woodcock.

Per Jane’s wishes, cremation was chosen.

Her family would like to extend their gratitude to Hosparus of Louisville for their amazing care and compassion.

Memorial gifts can be made to the Leitchfield Animal Shelter, 213 William Thomason Byway, Leitchfield, KY 42754; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or Hosparus of Louisville, 3532 Ephraim McDowell Drive, Louisville, KY 40205.

*And just in case you were wondering about her special words, here are the definitions:

Trinkies = trinkets or knick-knacks

Fluff = whipped topping

Gommed-Up = clogged or gooey

Splunked = pooped

Smoehead = we’re honestly not sure what she meant by that one, but suspect it meant a guy who was a loser.