Janet L. Just

Born October 13, 1944 in Peoria to James B. and Louise (Claypool) Custer, she married the love of her life, Drew Just on December 11, 1966 in Pekin. He died May 11, 2010 in Pekin. She was also preceded in death by her parents,

Surviving are two sons, Reid (Nicole) Just and Kyle (Patricia) Just, both of Pekin; four grandchildren, Kaleb, Emma and Tristan Just and Draven Morris, all of Pekin; one sister, Margery Custer of Springfield; a brother-in-law Richard (Mary Ann) Just of Coleville, WA.

Janet graduated from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. It was there that she met Drew and started their adventures through life together.

After college, Janet was a teacher in Jonesboro and Anna, Illinois. When Drew graduated, they moved to Oregon, and later Nebraska before coming back to Pekin to raise their family. Janet was a homemaker, a bookseller at Walden Books, a farm manager, and a volunteer at the Groveland Library. She was the best mom two boys, and their wives, could ask for, the neatest grandma to her grandchildren, a lover of “active” Springer Spaniel dogs, and a great friend to those that knew her.

Janet was an avid reader and a bottomless source of information, both useful and trivial. She was a hunter, having taken black bear, small game, and game birds, and she harvested whitetail deer for most of the years of her adult life. Janet loved traveling with Drew and would “run off to the Caribbean” on several cruises. She had the pleasure of visiting many places from Alaska to Machu Picchu.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 29, 2022 at Preston- Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Pastor Steven M. Rowell, Sr. will officiate. Visitation will be an hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.

Her father was the wrestling coach at Pekin Community High School from 1943 to 1967 and a member of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame, and National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In his honor, the family has designated Janet’s memorial contributions to the Pekin Community High School Dragon Athletic Booster Club, in care of the Athletic Office, 320 Stadium Drive, Pekin, IL 61554.

To express condolences, visit www.preston-hanley.com