Obituary for Joyce J Janssen
Joyce Jeanette “Ginger” Janssen, 86, passed away in the presence of family on March 22, 2021. She was born on September 30, 1934, in Southland, Texas, to Tullis Cullen and Margaret Allene Onstott, who preceded her in death. Her parents met while working at a cottongin, but drawn to employment opportunities at the potash mines, the family soon relocated to Carlsbad, New Mexico, where Joyce and her sisters, Pat Pinkert and Toni Murdock, were raised. Her brother, Tullis Cullen “Teece” Onstott, was also born in Carlsbad. All of her siblings survive her.
Though she later moved to Las Vegas and eventually to Wichita, Kansas, Joyce considered the New Mexico landscape she had explored as a girl, with its high desert and blooming prickly pears, to be one of the most beautiful sights she could remember. She was always attracted to the artisanry of the local Native Americans and educated herself about the tribes she lived among.
She had a deep respect for their art and craftsmanship; she decorated her home with art of the Southwest and habitually wore striking silver and turquoise jewelry.
The pursuit of excellence characterized Joyce’s life. In addition to making herself an aficionado of Native American art, she was a rigorous musician and relished the intellectual challenge of classical music. She was a serious student of the piano, saying, “What I wanted to be able to do was to play classical music and play it excellently,” and she did. She was a Methodist and sang in, played for, or directed church choirs throughout her adult life. She passed her interest in
music on to her children and her seven grandchildren, and in her support for their musical endeavors, she created new generations of musicians. Joyce’s striving for excellence was fueled by her sharp mind and belief in herself. When approaching a new challenge, her attitude was that she didn’t see any reason in the world why she couldn’t do it or excel at it. After moving to Las Vegas, she started as a teller at Valley Bank and soon became one of its first female commercial lending officers, ultimately becoming head of the bank’s insurance subsidiary before retiring in 1992. When the first personal computers became available, Joyce was fascinated by them and taught herself how they worked. She was a self-declared “Mac snob”. When she took a job doing the books at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Wichita, she made sure that the computers they used in the office were Macs, and she handled many office IT issues herself. She worked at the Ronald McDonald House for 12 years before retiring again.
During her years in Las Vegas, Joyce also left a mark on many lives by opening an ice rink, motivated by the closing of the rink where her youngest daughter, Jacquiline Lynne (Janssen) Valentino, skated. With characteristic acumen and matter-of-factness, she saw a need and filled it, identifying a suitable building, negotiating its lease, raising money from investors, laying an ice surface, driving the Zamboni, running the rink and pro shop, taking skaters to competitions, and cutting music for skating shows. Because of her, there was ice to skate on in Las Vegas, and skaters were able to maintain their community and career goals because of her leadership.
She approached other circumstances in her life with the same display of inner strength. Recognizing the need to leave behind habits like smoking and alcohol use, once she made the decision to quit, she never looked back. She faced cancer in a similar head-on fashion. In her words, “It was just, ‘Ok, I’ve got cancer, let’s fix it.’ Same thing [with smoking]: ‘I smoke, I
need to quit, let’s quit. It’s not worth it.’”
Joyce married Edwin Owen Graham on January 4, 1952, while still a senior at Carlsbad High School. Their elopement was followed by a wedding on June 29, 1952, at Hillcrest Methodist Church, which was built by her father. Owen was drafted shortly thereafter, and the couple moved to Fort Hood, where their daughters Janice Nicola (“Nikki”) and Cecilia Janene (“Jan”) were born. Nikki preceded her mother in death. Owen and Joyce divorced, and in 1962, Joyce married Russell Janssen and had one more daughter, Jacquiline. Joyce and Russ later divorced. Both of her former husbands preceded Joyce in death. In addition to her siblings, she is survived by her daughters, Jan and Jacquiline, and her 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
Joyce derived a lot of satisfaction from her roles as sibling, mother, and grandmother. She wanted her daughters and grandchildren to be independent, self-motivated people and found it rewarding to watch them grow and learn and become accomplished individuals in their own right. She also followed her siblings’ careers with interest and pride and valued her relationships with them as mutually enriching. She took a genuine interest in all of our lives, and we miss the support and strength we felt from having such a strong woman believe in us. Joyce spent much of her final years reading voraciously, as was fitting for a woman who spent considerable time and money in bookstores across America. She died with a stack of books she was still working through and is probably annoyed she won’t be able to get to them. However, she is now on to greater adventures. To quote the intrepid words one of her granddaughters once cried when approaching a crossroads, “Go forth, grandma, go forth!” We’ll catch up with you soon enough.
Those wishing to honor Joyce may send memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society or Ronald McDonald House Charities in Wichita.
Though she later moved to Las Vegas and eventually to Wichita, Kansas, Joyce considered the New Mexico landscape she had explored as a girl, with its high desert and blooming prickly pears, to be one of the most beautiful sights she could remember. She was always attracted to the artisanry of the local Native Americans and educated herself about the tribes she lived among.
She had a deep respect for their art and craftsmanship; she decorated her home with art of the Southwest and habitually wore striking silver and turquoise jewelry.
The pursuit of excellence characterized Joyce’s life. In addition to making herself an aficionado of Native American art, she was a rigorous musician and relished the intellectual challenge of classical music. She was a serious student of the piano, saying, “What I wanted to be able to do was to play classical music and play it excellently,” and she did. She was a Methodist and sang in, played for, or directed church choirs throughout her adult life. She passed her interest in
music on to her children and her seven grandchildren, and in her support for their musical endeavors, she created new generations of musicians. Joyce’s striving for excellence was fueled by her sharp mind and belief in herself. When approaching a new challenge, her attitude was that she didn’t see any reason in the world why she couldn’t do it or excel at it. After moving to Las Vegas, she started as a teller at Valley Bank and soon became one of its first female commercial lending officers, ultimately becoming head of the bank’s insurance subsidiary before retiring in 1992. When the first personal computers became available, Joyce was fascinated by them and taught herself how they worked. She was a self-declared “Mac snob”. When she took a job doing the books at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Wichita, she made sure that the computers they used in the office were Macs, and she handled many office IT issues herself. She worked at the Ronald McDonald House for 12 years before retiring again.
During her years in Las Vegas, Joyce also left a mark on many lives by opening an ice rink, motivated by the closing of the rink where her youngest daughter, Jacquiline Lynne (Janssen) Valentino, skated. With characteristic acumen and matter-of-factness, she saw a need and filled it, identifying a suitable building, negotiating its lease, raising money from investors, laying an ice surface, driving the Zamboni, running the rink and pro shop, taking skaters to competitions, and cutting music for skating shows. Because of her, there was ice to skate on in Las Vegas, and skaters were able to maintain their community and career goals because of her leadership.
She approached other circumstances in her life with the same display of inner strength. Recognizing the need to leave behind habits like smoking and alcohol use, once she made the decision to quit, she never looked back. She faced cancer in a similar head-on fashion. In her words, “It was just, ‘Ok, I’ve got cancer, let’s fix it.’ Same thing [with smoking]: ‘I smoke, I
need to quit, let’s quit. It’s not worth it.’”
Joyce married Edwin Owen Graham on January 4, 1952, while still a senior at Carlsbad High School. Their elopement was followed by a wedding on June 29, 1952, at Hillcrest Methodist Church, which was built by her father. Owen was drafted shortly thereafter, and the couple moved to Fort Hood, where their daughters Janice Nicola (“Nikki”) and Cecilia Janene (“Jan”) were born. Nikki preceded her mother in death. Owen and Joyce divorced, and in 1962, Joyce married Russell Janssen and had one more daughter, Jacquiline. Joyce and Russ later divorced. Both of her former husbands preceded Joyce in death. In addition to her siblings, she is survived by her daughters, Jan and Jacquiline, and her 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
Joyce derived a lot of satisfaction from her roles as sibling, mother, and grandmother. She wanted her daughters and grandchildren to be independent, self-motivated people and found it rewarding to watch them grow and learn and become accomplished individuals in their own right. She also followed her siblings’ careers with interest and pride and valued her relationships with them as mutually enriching. She took a genuine interest in all of our lives, and we miss the support and strength we felt from having such a strong woman believe in us. Joyce spent much of her final years reading voraciously, as was fitting for a woman who spent considerable time and money in bookstores across America. She died with a stack of books she was still working through and is probably annoyed she won’t be able to get to them. However, she is now on to greater adventures. To quote the intrepid words one of her granddaughters once cried when approaching a crossroads, “Go forth, grandma, go forth!” We’ll catch up with you soon enough.
Those wishing to honor Joyce may send memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society or Ronald McDonald House Charities in Wichita.