Janice “Jan” Arlene Mather, 85, West Liberty
Obituaries · March 05, 2025
Janice “Jan” Arlene Mather, 85, passed away Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Simpson Memorial Home in West Liberty.
Jan was born Feb. 25, 1940, in Marshalltown, Iowa, to Russ and Arlene (Millet) Rex.
She was a graduate of West Branch High School and went on to study at the University of Iowa, where she studied for her degree in education and graduated at the top of her class. She earned the Johnson Memorial Award for top honors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as induction to the Phi Beta Kappa honors society.
She taught third grade at Springdale Elementary School.
In 1953, Jan met the love of her life, Ken Mather, at her parents’ Minnesota fishing resort, Whitehill Haven. They were married on June 28, 1961, in Springdale, Iowa.
Jan and Ken farmed in the West Branch area. As a farm wife, she helped out by running for parts, preparing and delivering meals, running the grain dryer during harvest, keeping the books, and offering assistance wherever it was needed.
When her children were grown, she took on part-time jobs at ACT, NCS and Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and volunteered in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of Iowa, where she loved rocking babies.
Jan was a member of the West Branch United Methodist Church where she served on multiple committees.
She was a lifelong learner and creator, cultivating many skills over the years, including painting, jewelry making, scrapbooking, music, sewing, gardening, and stained glass artistry.
She loved to share her passion for creativity and passed many of these skills on to her family.
She is survived and lovingly remembered by her husband, Ken Mather; her sons, Randy (Tammy) Mather, Alan (Xann) Mather, and Mike (Sherma) Mather; her beloved grandchildren, Amanda Leigh (David), Joshua (Jenna), Kelzi, Kiersen, and Keaton; and her great-grandchildren, Truman, Evelyn, and Henry.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Russ and Arlene; brother Richard; sister-in-law Audrey; father-in-law Anders Mather; and mother-in-law Helen Simmons.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to: West Branch United Methodist Church or the Simpson Memorial Home Assisted Living.
Visitation will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 7, 2025, at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch.
Funeral service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday March 8, 2025, at the West Branch United Methodist Church.
Burial will be in the Springdale Cemetery.
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