Age 49 years, after an incredible battle with lung/brain/bone cancer. Janice was born in Langenburg to Joe and Rose (Appleton) Jurick of the Churchbridge area. She was the youngest of four children. She is pre-deceased by an infant uncle Jackie Jurick, her mother Rose (Appleton), grandparents Joeseph and Mary Jurick of Esterhazy and Fred and Amy Appleton of the Churchbridge area. Aunts Gertrude (Andrew) Gzyl, Ruth (Art) Malcolm, Uncle Fred Appleton, Aunt Nancy (George) Larson, Uncle Douglas Appleton, Aunt Doris (Jim) Bremridge. She leaves to mourn her passing and to celebrate her incredibly giving and loving life her loving husband of 20 years Rod, father Joe Jurick (Churchbridge), Brother Donald (Susan) Jurick (Regina), brother Allynn Jurick (Churchbridge), sister Eleanor (Jack) Grandquist (Yorkton) and step-niece Dee Dee Spilchen (Darcy) Yorkton, Aunt Frances Beck (Regina) In-laws Archie and Joanne Stafford (Craik) and sister-in-law Debbie (Peter) Cosh of Saskatoon as well as numerous cousins. Janice was raised on the family farm and attended Churchbridge school. Janice did not come from a 'million dollar' family with lots of flashy machines and gadgets. What she did come from, though, was something much more important - a family that knew the value of love, of family and friendship, of caring for each other, of remembering the little things in life that were important to each other, of respect, of honesty, of humility and above all of loyalty to God. It was these things, and especially her relationship with God, that carried her through the very difficult last months of her all too short life. Janice worked for the Churchbridge Co-op as the bookkeeper. In 1989 she met the new constable in town. Rod was immediately smitten with her beautiful brown eyes and her smile. They quickly became much more than friends and were soon seldom seen apart from each other. This trait carried on until the very end. In 1992 Janice and Rod were married and moved to Weyburn where he took a position with the Weyburn Police Service. Janice worked at a few jobs until in December she began to work at Pioneer Grain at the old wooden elevator only three blocks from home. She worked at the wooden elevator for 10 years until the new concrete terminal was constructed and said it was like moving from the pig trough into the penthouse. She very much enjoyed her work and I suspect her smile and polite way, her memory for names and special dates, and her genuine caring attitude did more than a little to both entice and keep customers coming to the elevator. She celebrated her 20th year with Pioneer December 14th. Because of Rod's involvement with the Masonic Fraternity, Janice joined the Order of the Eastern Star. She served as Worthy Matron of Prairie Rose Chapter # 74 in Weyburn and later at Kitchener Chapter # 15 in Estevan at the time of her illness. Janice was truly meant to be a 'Star' as we are called. Her genuine love for people, her ability to listen and empathize, her smile and her gentle way immediately endeared her to everyone she met on the 'Star Trail'. One of the greatest joys of her life was to be appointed the Grand Representative of Virginia in Saskatchewan and to actually get to visit Virginia in May 2012 for their annual meeting. There she was treated as royalty and afforded every courtesy. Her impact on the people she met in Virginia will never be fully known, but after only three days of meeting the people there and then them later learning of her illness she continued to receive to her death cards and well wishes from people I can only assume we met and whose life she touched in some special way. You see, for Janice, people and relationships were everything! Her counterpart in Virginia, Fido Stephens, was one of those people so smitten. Since Janice's hospitalization in September for her first surgery he has rarely missed a night calling to see how she was doing and to give her some words of encouragement. Even near the end, if Fido called and Janice was awake and alert and the phone put on speakerphone she would react with a smile and try to verbalize a few words to her dear friend. They were fortunate to get to travel to England twice where Janice met the Appleton side of the family and were fortunate to have the Australian side of the family visit in 2011. They got to cruise to Alaska twice and got to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Janice loved life! Both being rodeo fans a highlight was a trip to the NFR in 2011 and in 2010 a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. Janice and Rod both enjoyed dancing very much. People often commented how they were meant to be together by the way they danced. She loved walking, biking and most recently kayaking and couldn't wait to get home on kayak night and get to the lake. She was a voracious reader and discovered the 'Pewter Angel' series of novels by Henry Ripplinger. She shared these novels with anyone who had an interest and each life she touched with the books was changed for the better. Through a friend, Henry became aware of Janice's illness and sent her encouraging emails which she enjoyed immensely. But the greatest joy came even after Janice had lost her ability to speak or for that matter communicate much at all when one day Henry called her on speakerphone in her hospital bed and talked with her for a short time about why he chose to write the series. When Janice found out who he was and that he was calling for her she had an ear-to-ear grin. Henry promised her the first copy of book four, personally signed by himself. Janice was the living example of love. It was in everything she did and most importantly in every person she met and interacted with. Janice often told Rod that he was so talented because he played so many instruments or gave good speeches. It was because of her humility that she never fully realized how incredibly talented she was. Lots of people play instruments. Great politicians make speeches the world over that are not remembered the next day. But people like our Janice, the ones that touch us to the core of our being, are the truly talented and special ones. Our lives are better by far because Janice was a part of them. The size of the holes left in each life she has touched will vary. She was loved by so many people literally all over the world and her life did indeed have meaning and purpose. It is given now to each of us to take what was important to Janice and make sure that it is built upon and never loses its luster. Janice began her latest journey August 10, 2012 when she was admitted for a biopsy of a spot on her lung. That turned to a tumor on her brain, then another and by the time it was done cancer had invaded all parts of her body. She entered the Weyburn hospital December 22, 2012 never to be well enough to be at home again. Now she rests in her eternal home. Throughout the journey Janice always said that she knew God had the plan and that we just had to live it one day at a time. She never once complained about her lot and never let anyone, even Rod, see what the disease was doing to her. She remained positive until the very end. It is our job now to learn what God was trying to teach us by this tragic life event and see that Janice's death was not in vain or without meaning. Our wedding invitation bore the words 'This day I will marry my friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.' Today I bury that same friend, the one I laughed with and who made me laugh, the one I lived each day for and taught me so much about love and life, the one I dreamed with who taught me that all dreams are possible with God, and the one I loved to the deepest part of my being and the one I will miss so very much. I love you Janice - rest in God's arms until we are together again! The Anglican Funeral Rites were celebrated Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at the Weyburn St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church with The Rev. Catherine Harper presiding. All in Attendance were considered to be honourary pall bearers. Very special friends Blaine and Melanie Ward acted as Urn Bearers. The pianist was Weneen Georgeson accompanied on guitar by family friend Bob Olson. A time of visitation was held the evening before at All Saints Anglican Church at which time the Order of the Eastern Star Funeral Ceremony was performed. Interment followed in Hillcrest Cemetery, Weyburn. Donations in Janice's memory may be made to the Regina Cancer Patient Lodge, 4101 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan S4T 1A3. Rod and the family would like to thank Dr. Katie Fong for her care and compassion during Janice's last months as well as Dr. Amjad and Dr. Torri of the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina. Mostly we would like to thank the 3B Nursing Staff at the Pasqua Hospital and especially the staff at the Weyburn General Hospital for their compassion and care during Janice's time with them. Condolences may be left at: www.fletcherfuneralchapel.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to Fletcher Funeral Chapels Ltd., Weyburn (306) 842-5432
