Janice A. Bartley

Janice Arneta Briggs Bartley passed away peacefully on September 11, 2025, after a long journey with Alzheimer's disease. Up until the end Janice maintained her appreciation of beauty, love of family, and deep faith in God.

Janice’s Celebration of Life, family, and friends gathering will be Sat, Oct. 4, 2025. We will be gathering between 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM. Drop in as you can. Reflections will begin at 2:30 PM. Please join us at the Alumni Center at Baker University. 519 8th St, Baldwin City KS 66006

In lieu of flowers please send your support to the Elderhaus … Mama spent her days in the last years of her life being supported by this wonderful organization.

https://elderhaus.org/home/get-involved/giving - designate in memory of Janice Bartley

Janice’s life can best be encapsulated by the acronym “FAITH” - Faithful, Active, Imaginative, Talented, and Hopeful. (In her 86 years here with us she exuded an abundance of each.

Faithful to dreams: Janice was born in Dodge City, Kansas Dec 2, 1938. Janice was one of eight children born to Raymond and Opal (Nicolay) Briggs. Janice moved to Topeka, KS as a young child where she spent most of the years of her life. Janice graduated from Topeka High School in 1956. While in high school, she participated as an active member in the Madrigal exclusive choir. Janice loved singing and had a beautiful soprano voice.

Upon graduation, she enrolled in Stormont School of Nursing to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Around the same time, Janice met the man that she would eventually marry. She dreamed about being married on Sept. 2nd. (her parent’s and her eldest’ sister wedding anniversary.) However, the headmaster of her nursing school was upset that she had not completed the full year of school prior to marriage. She was one day too early to meet that requirement. The headmaster would not let her off her surgical clinical rotation, so she worked up until just two hours before her wedding scrubbed into an extensive surgery, before she was finally allowed to head to First Church of the Nazarene where she was married to Francis M. Bartley of Hiawatha KS, September 2, 1958. Janice graduated from the Nursing program in 1961.

Throughout her life, Janice worked as a nurse. Initially she worked at Dr. Parman’s and Dr. Crouch’s office as a pediatric nurse. After a few years, she transitioned into working for her parents at the Samaritan Nursing Home as their charge nurse. Eventually Janice went to work as a drug/alcoholic counselor nurse for the Topeka VA hospital where she retired in 2006. She was proud of the fact that she had been known as the “good nurse” by those she served.

Francis and Janice maintained a loving and supportive marriage throughout their 58 years they were granted until Francis’ death Nov. 6th, 2016. From Sept of 1959 until Sept of 1965, they welcomed four children into their home (Francis, Michelle, Melinda and Michael). Together they traveled throughout the United States and to several countries around the world. They enjoyed spending time as a family, as well as with friends of the family, and with their church family. Janice excelled in creating a welcoming home. Her family meant the world to her.

Janice encouraged creativity and warmth in her children, supporting them in all of their life’s adventures. She was their leader and/or co leader in groups, went to countless ballgames/recitals, wrestling, track and gymnastic meets, concerts, piano recitals, plays, scout meetings etc. all while working. She remained an active participant in their lives even when the grew and departed the home.

Janice maintained an open-door policy. Extended family, friends, and even random people were always welcomed into her home, there was no such thing as a closed door. Janice allowed all kinds of other additions into her home too; dogs, gerbils, birds, frogs, snakes (maybe not welcome but allowed), bunnies and even a racoon at one point! Janice always desired to let people know they were welcome. She was faithful to that to the very end.

Janice is survived by her children: Francis (Lois) Bartley Jr., Michelle (Steve) Tucker, Melinda (Geoffrey) Alleyne, and Michael Bartley. She’s also survived by her brother Raymond (Ann) Briggs and sister Iris Turner. Janice was preceded in death by her siblings Aletha (Lonnie) Bevens, Doretha (Bill) Williamson, Charlene (Calvin Wilson, John Cooper) Cooper and Charlotte (Kenny) Gibson.

She was preceded in death by her husband Francis M. Bartley Sr., brother Byron Briggs and parents Raymond and Opal Briggs.

Active participant in her faith:

More than anything Janice was a faithful follower of Christ. She participated in various Nazarene churches throughout her lifetime. She served as a leader in the children’s departments, as a VBS teacher, in the drama department and as an active member of the music ministry singing in the choir and often singing as a soloist and/or in a small ensemble.

Janice likewise supported her husband in his ministry as a Youth For Christ director/worker. Many sacrifices were made so that he could continue to serve Christ in a way that he had felt called. She helped type his support letters and put out the mailers often late into the night. She helped raise funds for the ministry and helped encourage him when he would feel discouraged. In his later years she supported helping him to organize participation in ministries throughout the community.

Janice spent many hours praying for those she loved and knew. It was important to her to make sure they knew likewise that she was praying for them. Janice would cry when they cried and rejoiced when they did, oftentimes sacrificing her own comfort so that they could know she cared. Janice got up in the early hours of the AM, that were spent in times of devotion in prayer.

Imaginative:

The crowning glory for Janice was the arrival of grandchildren (and great-grandchildren. She made it a point to be as engaged as possible with her grandchildren. (as well as great (great) grandchildren)

According to the beautiful words of one of them recently “grandma filled our childhood with love in the most ordinary, extraordinary ways. I remember her home-cooked meals and Thanksgivings packed with cousins, all of us finding places to sleep—even under the table, pretending we were camping. She created “Grandma’s Sewing Camp,” taught me to make deviled eggs, and let me sleep in her room when I was scared. She cried every single time we said goodbye. She watched us make snowmen in the yard and allowed us to turn her “creepy” basement into whole new worlds where we played for hours. She was steady when life wasn’t. She never missed a birthday call until Alzheimer’s took away her calendar. She was constant, generous, and full of quiet magic. I’ll carry her love with me always.” Another one of her grandchildren said “the most important thing she would say to us, and I know there are many outside of her family that heard these beautiful words in secret was " I know I didn't have to". That is the kind unconditional love I will always remember....”

Also, surviving Janice are her grandchildren Casey Woodward (Bryan), Francis Bartley III, Kelly Meadows (Johnny), Sarah Hoover (Thomas), Shaun Tucker (Helaina Le) Janice Rawls (Kris), Joshua Alleyne, Hannah Alleyne, Alethia Garrett (Kevin), Michaela Bartley (Zaq Pierce) and Abriana Bayer (Noland)

Great Grandchildren Shauna Woodward, Bryan Woodward Jr., Dana Woodward, Titus Woodward (Ashlynn) and Cailynn Woodward. Bryan Woodward lll (Jessica) , Isaac Bartley, Alexander Bartley, Emily Meadows, Hattie Meadows, Cade Meadows, Allison Hoover, Molly Hoover, Charles Hoover, Vera Garrett, Harvey Garrett, Otto Pierce, Finley Bayer and Moriah Rawls

Great-Great Grandchildren: Shaylynn Woodward, Eileithyia Woodward, Kingsten Woodward, Tatem Woodward, Easton Woodward, and Ben Jr Woodward. Bryan III Woodward and Harlow Woodward, Oliver Woodward, and Blakelynn Woodward

She was proceeded in death by her grandson Zechariah Alleyne.

Talented:

Janice was talented and creative. She was known to have sewn many items throughout her lifetime, everything from baby items, clothing, coats, wedding dresses, christening gowns, and quilts. Likewise, she was an accomplished baker. She loved every year for many years baking cookies for her church’s fundraiser. She would start months ahead of time making dozens and dozens of cookies and loaves of sweet breads to donate for them to sell. Likewise, there was always an abundance of cookies, peanut butter balls and sweet breads for family gatherings too.

Throughout life Janice enjoyed things like photography, macrame’, crafting, pottery, crochet, needlepoint, and such. It wasn’t unusual to find her picking up a new hobby and exploring multiple creative outlets. The thing Janice did best though was include her children, her grandchildren, even her neighbors’ kids into her world of being creative. She loved children. She spent her lifetime incorporating them into whatever she was doing.

Hopeful: Janice appreciated all that life gave her. In her later years she moved out to her daughter’s house in Colorado, where she was cared for by two of her children and their spouses. While there, Janice attended Elderhaus Memory Day facility …. Even as her memory failed her, she still quickly made friends with several fellow participants. She likewise maintained enjoying taking walks in the community, talking with neighbors, and petting all the dogs along the path that she could find. She enjoyed many a trip into the mountains and out into the community in search of nature’s wonder. She even somehow convinced the wild deer to come to her so that she could pet them! She enjoyed attending church in the community as well, but also really loved her time with her eldest son singing both oldies and gospel music each evening before retiring to bed. She spoke of the hope of the future that heaven would bring her.

Until she lost the ability to talk, Janice would express how grateful she was to have lived a long life full of wonderful experiences as well as a loving family, many good friends, and compassionate care givers. In the later hours of her life, she spoke of heaven and being taken up by Jesus to live there. Alzheimer’s took the memory of so many away from her, but she never forgot that she loved and was loved by Christ. She lived a life full of hope. She truly embodied the adage of a life well lived.