On October 24, 2012, one of the sweetest, most generous and selfless persons to ever walk the face of this earth took the hand of our Lord Jesus and followed Him into His Kingdom where she was reunited with all of those who loved her but have gone before.
Jan was born in Plymouth, Indiana, on May 26, 1933, the daughter of Paul McDonald Snick (nee Schneckenburger) and Martha Louise Nelson (nee Nielsen). When Jan was not quite 3 years old her father, a pilot/salesman for Waco Aircraft, was killed in a plane accident in Dallas, Texas. Her Mother died in 1948 leaving her an orphan. Fortunately, two loving people, her Great Aunt Catherine and Great Uncle Cecil Hughes, became her legal guardians and nurtured her into a fine woman.
Jan graduated from Logansport (Indiana) High School in 1951 and, after a year at Stephens College, transferred to Purdue University where she graduated in 1955 with a degree in Education. On June 19, 1955, she and Don Sauers were joined in marriage at St. Bridget’s Church in Logansport. After Don went into the U.S. Army Jan began her teaching career and eventually became the Librarian at St. Bernadettes Church in Springfield, Virginia. One of her great pleasures was reading to her grade school children the many books they enjoyed. Her all-time favorite was “Cloudy with a Chance of Meat Balls.”
Jan and Don lived most of their lives and raised all of their children in Springfield, but in 1992, they moved to their vacation house on Lake Gaston, North Carolina, a place they loved so much. However in 2004, when it became evident that they needed to be closer to medical services, they relocated to Magnolia Greens in Leland, North Carolina.
Jan leaves behind to mourn her loss, her husband Don; a daughter Susan Basili and husband Joe of South Orange, New Jersey; son, Allen and wife Alice of Leland, and son Steven of Singapore; grandson, Brian Basili attending Villanova University, and granddaughter Nicole Basili attending the university of Delaware; and her best friend for life, Sherry Scott Putney of Selkirk, New York.
Friends may pay their respects at Coble Ward-Smith Funeral Home, 3915 Oleander Drive in Wilmington, on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 from 5 to 8 PM. A memorial mass will be held at St. Mary Church at a date to be determined. Jan will be buried next to her parents in Meadow Lake Cemetery, Wolcott, Indiana.
“Treasure each other in the recognition that we do not know how long we will have each other.”
The staff of Coble Ward-Smith Funeral Service is honored to serve the family of Mrs. Janet Sauers.
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