Janice Whiteman Louser

Janice (Whiteman) Louser, age 52, of Glendive, passed away on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at the Glendive Medical Center. Visitation will be on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. in the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive. A Life Tribute Service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, December 27, 2006 in the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating. Interment will be in the Dawson Memorial Cemetery in Glendive. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive is entrusted with arrangements. Janice was born on July 10, 1954 in Wolf Point, Montana, the daughter of George Dewey and Betty (Blue) Whiteman. She was raised and educated in Richey, Montana and graduated from Richey High School in the early 1970's. She was united in marriage to Boyd Louser on November 6, 1976 in Richey. Janice and her husband resided in Glendive where Janice worked various jobs at the Jordan Inn until she and her husband started their family. Janice was a simple woman who devoted her life to her family - raising her children and being a devoted wife. She enjoyed drinking coffee. Janice especially loved being a grandma. She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Peggy Canfield. Survivors include her husband, Boyd Louser of Glendive; her sons, Cory Louser and Chad Louser, both of Glendive; her daughter, Heather Morast and her husband Jeremy and their children, Megan and Jacob of Bismarck, North Dakota; her sister, Sharon Raab of Billings, Montana and her brother, Dewey Dean Whiteman of Glendive. ************************* Life Tribute Service: To have lived well, laughed often and loved much To have gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children To have filled a niche and accomplished a task To have left the world better and to have appreciated earth’s beauty and not failed to express it To have looked for the best in others and to have given the best of yourself That is achievement Janice Louser did all these things and more during her 52 years of life. Today, as we remember Janice, we pay tribute to her achievements, to her life. “To have lived well…” Janice was a simple woman. She did not have great material wealth, but she lived richly. Janice was a devoted mother; a wife who took care of home and family, the person her family could depend on to be there for them. Her pleasures were simple; coffee, cigarettes, and conversation. Janice loved visiting with people, both family and friends. She would go into Richey to visit her mother and spend the day helping her mother and having conversations. Janice and her mother were good friends. When Janice’s granddaughter, Megan, visited, Janice would sit with her at the kitchen table and they would have coffee and oysters crackers or cookies, and much conversation. Janice would talk and Megan would jabber, and they would have a great time. It wasn’t just people that got in on conversations with Janice. Janice’s daughter, Heather, had a black lab dog at one time, and that dog just loved Janice. Heather would bring the dog with her home to visit and Janice would feed the dog table food, spoil it and talk its ears off. A couple years ago, Heather gave her mother a Beta fish and when there was no one else to visit with, Janice had many a conversation with that fish. Another of Janice’s simple pleasures was old time country music. She listened to those early country singers and she and her mother would watch the Grand Ole Opry on the television. Charly Pride was one of her favorites and she saw him in concert at the fair in Sidney one year. Her children never enjoyed listening to that kind of music, but she would tell them that some day they would appreciate that good old country music. So far that hasn’t happened, but it does remind them when they hear it, how much their mother did enjoy those old tunes. Life for Janice and her husband, Boyd, was living on a tight budget. A favorite shopping destination was the Attic. It is sometimes difficult for children growing up to understand living frugally, but as adults, children come to realize that parents do the best they can. And Janice always put her children’s needs first, often going without for herself. Recently, Boyd got her a CD player for her to listen to, but she made him take it back as she didn’t “need” it. Living well for Janice meant seeing that family was cared for and enjoying the simple things of life. “To have gained…the love of children.” What greater achievement can a mother have than to gain the love and respect of her children. Janice’s children, Heather, Chad and Cory, recognize and appreciate all that their mother did for them and the sacrifices she made for their happiness. They could talk to her about anything, as she would listen without reprimands and judgements. Janice understood that children make many mistakes and some bad choices as they go through life’s lessons growing up. Often she would step in when her husband, Boyd, would react to their adventures with discipline. Janice would remind him that they were just kids, she had done the same thing when she was a kid. One such incident was when Chad was a youngster. Chad had a rubber duck and he would put it in the toilet to swim. But Chad liked to flush and see that duck go around. Inevitably, the duck would plug the stool and cause a big mess. Boyd would throw the duck in the trash. Janice would retrieve the duck, giving it back to Chad to play with, which Chad did, as he kept repeating this adventure. Janice knew the importance of toys and fun for her children. With a tight budget, toys were not plentiful for Janice’s kids. Heather recalls one Christmas when the Smurfs were the new favorite of kids. Heather, of course, wanted some Smurf things for Christmas but did not really expect to receive any Smurf toys, as she did not get many of the toys she observed other children getting. Janice saw to it Heather received her Smurf items. Today, Heather realizes how difficult doing those kinds of things for her children was for Janice, as money was tight for the family. Like most parents, Janice wanted to fulfill her children’s wishes. This constant giving of love and attention gained Janice the love of her children. Janice gained her children’s respect with the way she handled her own difficulties. As they watched her struggle with emphyzema and her growing dependence on her oxygen tank, Janice taught them about maintaining your life even in difficult times. Janice tried not to let her health stand in the way of her living her life just as she had always done. She continued to go to Richey and socialize. She continued to help her mother, and when her mother went into the nursing home, Janice would go visit for hours. If her mother was awake, Janice would talk at great length, and if her mother was asleep, Janice would sit by her bed, read a magazine, and just keep her company. This past year Boyd had problems with his health and Janice took care of him even though she struggled with her own health. She always did what she could and put her family’s needs first. “To have filled a niche and accomplished a task…” In a time of careers and daycare, Janice stands out as being somewhat unique. Janice and Boyd met while working on the same ranch. After marriage, Janice worked various jobs, but when their Heather came along, Janice began her career as a mother and homemaker. This was what was important, even more important than the money she could earn and the material things that extra income might buy. Janice and Boyd only went places and did the things that allowed them to take their kids with them. Babysitters were unheard of in their household. Even though everyone helped with chores, Janice had a particular way of doing things, and if a task was left undone, she was apt to finish it up her way. One of the memorable events around the home was during canning season. Janice didn’t care to garden but she and Boyd would put up about five hundred jars of canned goods. Every room in the house would shelve some of these canned goods, except for Heather’s that is. Heather put her foot down about having canned vegetables in her room. Even today, the family rebels at eating store bought beans, they just don’t have the flavor of their mother’s canned beans. Another staple of Janice’s were crackers and the cookies she baked. These were always present on the table along with her coffee. Janice saved bread bags and would fill them with cookies and crackers for family members to carry with them to snack on. A small woman, Janice had a large appetite. After a meal, the leftovers didn’t go in the fridge, Janice finished them off. Her children sometimes wondered if their mother had two stomachs, like a cow. Janice could put away huge amounts of food and not gain a pound. For being a small person, Janice was a large presence in her home. Janice was well satisfied to be a wife, mother and homemaker. This was her niche; these were the tasks she loved. “To have left the world a better place…” Of course she did. You can see it in the faces of her children as they grieve for a mother that has left too soon. You can see it in the face of her husband who needs her and will miss her greatly. You can see it in the bright eyes of her young granddaughter, who doesn’t understand where her grandma has gone. All will carry the memories of Janice with them. All have learned many lessons from Janice and the way she did things. The significance Janice has had on her family’s lives will go on as they live their lives and remember Janice. Janice was an important person. The world is better for her having spent time here. “…to have given the best of yourself” Janice has done that. Janice gave her best to her marriage, her children, her grandchild. She took life and made it the best one she could. She fought her emphyzema as long as she could and as hard as she could. Her best will be carried on by her family. She will be remembered forever by them. Her granddaughter, Megan, and her soon to be born grandson, Jacob, will be told about Janice in many conversations. For as long as memories about Janice remain, conversations with and about Janice are possible. Janice’s life achievement is her family. They, and we, pay tribute to Janice Louser. Let us now listen to the song “Amazing Grace” Song: Amazing Grace Celebrant: Janice Louser fought valiantly to remain a presence in her family’s lives. For seven years, Janice carried her oxygen with her to help her breath. But lately, Janice seemed to need it more and she seemed to know the end of her life was near. Janice came to depend on her young son, Cory, to help take care of some of the responsibilities of the household as her health declined. To go now was not her wish. But her death has occurred and everything is changed by the event. We are painfully aware that life can never be the same again. We are aware that we are forever changed, forever altered by this loss. And that is as it should be. The intensity of the hurt only bears testimony to the depth and meaning of this relationship in your life. There are many views about the hope that waits for us in life beyond life, but there is one undeniable and ever present hope we can all share. That is the hope found in memories. Remember Janice in your heart, in your thoughts. Hold close the memories of the times of laughter, the times of conversations, the times of sharing, the times of love. For if you think of Janice, she will never be gone from you. Remember your wife, your mother, your grandmother, your friend. The balloons you see at the front have messages to Janice from family members and will be released at Janice’s committal service at Dawson Memorial Cemetery. After everyone is ushered from the chapel today, Boyd will be closing Janice’s casket along with Janice’s children, Heather, Chad and Cory as a gesture of love and respect for Janice. This concludes Janice Louser’s life tribute service.

Janice Whiteman Louser

July 10, 1954 - December 27, 2006

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

Janice Whiteman Louser

July 10, 1954 - December 27, 2006

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support