Janet Essig

Janet Ann Essig of Ames, Iowa departed this world for heaven on November 10, 2023, in Ames, Iowa.  A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Webster City.  The family has chosen Boman Funeral Home (www.bomanfh.com)  to care for their needs.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to – P.E.O. and Food at First (foodatfirst.com).

Jan was born in Webster City, Iowa to Lloyd and Margaret Evelyn (Phelan) Karr on October 25, 1942. She attended school in Webster City until the family moved in 1959 to Winter Park, Florida where she graduated in 1960. She attended Iowa State University then began working in the ISU Testing and Counseling Department.

At ISU Jan met John Woodside Essig of Grundy County, Iowa and they were married on December 15, 1962, in Princeton, Missouri. The couple was blessed with two daughters, Jill Ann and Judith Susan. As a young couple, they lived in Des Moines, Iowa and Los Angeles, California before returning to Webster City in 1977 to raise their daughters. There, Jan began a 30-year career as a legal assistant specializing in Probate and Taxes at the Karr Family Law Firm. The Essigs moved to Green Hills Retirement Community in Ames in 2019. Wherever she lived, Jan was always an enthusiastic member and leader of community organizations and activities.

Jan lived a big life, something you might not expect of a girl from a small town. Spending childhood summers in Clear Lake, she found a love of sailing and flying across the water with wind in her hair. On a European tour, she saw Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland and Pope John XXIII in Italy. Later in life, Jan and John traveled to Ireland where she kissed the Blarney Stone. Closer to home, they followed the Lewis and Clark Trail enroute to Alaska and celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a Caribbean cruise. Her family describes her as generous, gracious, and gregarious.

Her family includes her husband John and their daughters: Jill Ann (Brian) Raymer and their children Meredith, Joseph, Kelsey, and Brighid; Judith Susan (Keith) Easley and their children Abigail and Alexander; as well as many cherished nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and her beloved brother, Richard Lloyd Karr.