Janice Rae Cote

Janice Rae Cote (née Jones) 86 passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025, in New River, Arizona, with her daughter Teresa at her bedside. Born on August 12, 1939, in Norfolk, Nebraska, Janice was the granddaughter of a young girl sent west in 1889 from Boston, Massachusetts to Yankton, South Dakota on a Catholic Charities Orphan Train. Janice was the daughter of Orlen Keith Jones and Evelyn Theresa Jones (née King).

As a young girl, Janice moved with her family to Missoula, Montana and graduated High School from Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula. A devout Catholic, Janice married George Cote in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on April 7, 1957. The couple relocated shortly afterwards to Portland, Oregon, where Janice and George raised a family. Their home was known for its warmth and hospitality and was always inhabited by a variety of beloved pets.

Janice loved to camp with her husband and children in the 1970s and 80’s throughout the Pacific Northwest. Fridays would often involve Janice cooking meals for the camping weekend and when her husband would arrive home from work, the family would head out in their camper with their motorcycles in tow. A proud homemaker first and foremost, Janice also did volunteer work with the Multnomah County School District (Clothes-Rack) where she was known as a tenacious advocate for some of the less advantaged students. She was always able to find the resources for the children in need, whether it was a warm coat, or a serviceable pair of rain boots.

After her husband retired, Janice and George became Arizona snowbirds, wintering out at places like Apache Junction and Yuma in their motorhome. As soon as the weather would begin to change in the spring, the couple would make a quick turn back to their home in Portland, the one place they both truly loved. A true Oregonian, Janice rejected the use of an umbrella and instead chose to embrace the rain with a simple jacket and rain bonnet. In her later years, Janice enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, Sudoku and other brain teasers. She was also a big fan of Hallmark Movies, especially those with a winter holiday theme. Her grandchildren were truly the center of her universe. Always an animal lover, she also greatly enjoyed the company of her children’s and grandchildren’s pets.

Janice is survived by her four grown children, Rick (Renee), Roger, and Robert all of Portland and a daughter, Teresa Cote (Geno Riley) of New River, Arizona; ten grandchildren, Rita, Brian, Dominic, Joseph, Nathan, Naomie, Mathieu, Melissa, Michaela and Andrea. Special Nieces Laurie Jones, Sun City, AZ and Bonnie Seubert, DNP, Vancouver, WA and numerous other nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren. She will be sorely missed by all her family.

Janice was predeceased by her beloved husband George Cote in 2003, and her four other siblings, sisters Bonnie and Ellen and brothers Warren and Billy.

A Mass of Christian Burial and memorial service are being planned for the springtime in Portland, OR. Janice will be interned with her husband, at Willamette National Cemetery in Happy Valley, OR.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks family and friends to consider making a donation in Janice’s name to the Phoenix Arizona based non-profit - Hospice of the Valley whose unimaginable compassion, kindness and medical professionalism were greatly appreciated by Janice and her family over her last few months.