Janice Marie (Draper) Fanning

Janice Marie (Draper) Fanning

June 24, 1935

to June 11, 2024

Janice Marie (Draper) Fanning of Cheney passed peacefully into Heaven on June 11, 2024, with her children by her side.

During her last day, she had 22 family members share time with her loading her with love and the sweetest of good-byes. Jan kept her wit and humor throughout the day. Son, John, baptized Mom while surrounded by family. This was her wish.

Jan was born June 24, 1935, in Wilbur, Wash., to Ward and Gladys Draper. She comes from a pioneering family south of town and grew up on the farm near Wheatridge.

She joined sister Marilyn and later welcomed little sister Wardine. She loved to play outside and tried to avoid all the household chores that she could.

During her childhood she was a 4-H member, excelled in piano, was a Wilbur High School cheerleader, and kept many mementos from these years. She was a proud Wilbur Redskin, Class of '53. We all loved to hear her stories of growing up which she always told in a way to get us laughing.

Mom attended Washington State College - now Washington State University - three years when she was, in her words, successful in obtaining her M.R.S. degree. She married Richard "Dick" Fanning on Aug. 19, 1956. She was a music major, a yell leader, and was the Homecoming queen of '55. There are so many other titles that she won on popularity votes during her time in Pullman.

Mom had the gift of drawing people to her sparkling personality and has always been well-liked by all.

After living in Texas and New Jersey on Army bases from 1956 to 1958, Jan and Dick moved to Port Townsend, Wash., for his position at the Fort Worden Diagnostic and Treatment Center.

She quickly made what was to become life-long friends that are more like family. Even though the cloudy and rainy days were not Mom's favorites, she shined her loving, kind, and very funny light all over town.

She was on a tennis team, acted in Key City Players, organized a Miss Port Townsend contest for the Rhody Festival, helped build the Port Townsend floats several years, had morning coffee with the other young mothers, organized many dances and functions that often-included costumes, hosted a plethora of neighborhood kids at one of the most fun houses to go to, cut their hair, and taught piano for 6 years.

In 1959, Jan and Dick welcomed daughter LeAnn and in 1961 son John. She taught both of us how to sew clothing for our stuffed animals and dolls. She would ignore laundry and dishes just to sit with us and sing to record albums of the 1960s.

She gave us the best birthday parties in town. Mom also made costumes for us each Halloween and for the Kiddie parades. She sewed clothing for herself and us that I still hear about from those early-day friends, they were so fashionable and admired.

Most of our holidays and many weekends found our family camping around the Puget Sound or at the cabin at Diamond Lake, Wash. Come to find out later, Mom didn't get to enjoy the vacations because she was "stuck cooking and doing dishes."

Many camping trips were with other Fort Worden families, and we do recall her having loads of fun. The time away from home she liked the best was the annual Garred Family Reunion when she'd get to spend time with her mother's side of the family.

This reunion continues today, and she will be sorely missed this year.

In 1971, the family moved to Cheney, Wash., as Dick's career took him to the area. Jan was so happy to be back to her open sky, rolling wheat fields, sunshine, and closer to her family. She obtained her first job, outside of teaching piano and running a household, for the city attorney as the secretary.

She always claimed she got the job because she wore a short skirt. We always told her that it was her personality and positive attitude.

She excelled in this position for six years before hiring on at Eastern Washington University.She landed as the secretary for the Art Department and loved her job, mainly the faculty and students.

She received many a gift from the graduating students and filled her home with beautiful original art. Mom retired from EWU in 1998.

Jan and Dick divorced in 1978, but were happy to be at the same family functions.

Jan was a member of Beta Sigma Phi, a philanthropic organization, for nearly 50 years. She was on bowling teams over the years; played Bingo in Cheney and in Spokane; enjoyed her years playing Bunco, Bridge and Pinochle.

One thing that the entire extended family looked forward to at celebrations was Mom writing a personal song and singing it, dressed in costume and playing her kazoo.

She stated her interests to be "Grandchildren, piano, needlework, travel and friends." And travel she did.

She bought a van and traveled solo for years, never taking a freeway because she liked the landscape, small towns, finding the best burger, and believed in the journey more than the destination. She travelled to New York City, Nevada, Utah and many countries in Europe. Her favorite place was Lincoln City, Ore. She spent weeks in June and in the Fall there watching the waves, the birds, the sunsets and going to breakfast at 'her' Otis Cafe. She loved sharing just a little of her Lincoln City time with her sister Wardine (and Marvin), her friend Roberta, and on occasion her kids and grandkids.

For many years, she joined her closest Port Townsend lady friends, Marilyn, Neva and Doreen, on the coast somewhere just enjoying the company of each other. The stories and memories they must have shared, not just about them but their other life-long best friends, Pete, Ed and Eileen, Marie and Newman, and many others.

Janice is preceded in death by both of her parents and too many friends and family to mention.

She is survived by her sisters, Marilyn Sherwood and Wardine Riechmann; daughter, LeAnn Fanning Knoles and grandkids Elizabeth Shepard, Spencer (Janessa) Knoles and Clayton (Jacynth) Knoles; and son, John (Christy) Fanning and grandkids Julie (Gregg) Smith, Michael (Tricia) Fanning, Michelle Fanning, Marie Fanning and Jacob Fanning. Missing their great-grandma are Ashton, Layla, Eugene, Quinn, Ella, Dakota, Gunner, Olivia, Jack, Luke, Miles and Nevaeh.

A graveside service was June 18 at Wilbur Cemetery; a reception followed at the Community Center. A celebration gathering will be in Cheney later this summer.

Mom wouldn't want flowers or donations made. She would want everyone to tell their family that they love them and would want friends and family to make someone smile or laugh.