Janice Arlene Steele's Obituary
Janice Arlene Barnes Steele passed away peacefully while surrounded by family on January 14, 2023 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Janice was born November 9, 1941, in Cedar Vale, Kansas to Cleo Birdell Wooters Barnes and William Lenn Barnes. While growing up in Wichita, her favorite things to do were to play outside while barefoot, read books, and lie on the flat Kansas land and imagine shapes within the clouds passing over. Her favorite school subject was history, and it remained a lifelong interest.
At the age of 14, she met fellow 14-year-old Larry Steele at a mutual friend’s house. She saw him again when he rode his horse by her house. Janice loved horses so she was fascinated by the horse, but even more fascinated by Larry and they began dating the following school year. Janice and Larry both attended Wichita’s Planeview High School along with their many wonderful friends with whom they kept in touch throughout their lives. The Planeview Kids were extraordinary people, and Janice had many great memories and stories about the times she spent with her friends.
Larry joined the Navy after high school and Janice traveled to the Navy base in Milton, Florida to marry him on May 13, 1961. They were fortunate enough to celebrate their 50th anniversary and then their 60th anniversary. In recognition of their 60th anniversary, they were honored with a Papal Blessing from Pope Francis.
Janice loved watching classic movies on TCM, reading mystery novels and historical nonfiction on her Kindle, playing games on her iPad, and having long conversations with friends and family. She loved attending family reunions and sharing stories with her uncles and siblings. She loved attending high school reunions with Larry. She loved listening to music, especially Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Cher, U2, and the Bee Gees. She loved meditating. She loved reading about herbs and supplements to improve health. She loved drinking green tea. She loved purses and shoes, and always had too many of both in her closet. She loved taking “just one bite with a clean fork” from everyone else’s plates. She loved listening to Larry tell long stories that she believed to be serious until they ended with a punchline. She loved learning about new things and was interested in just about any topic. Most of all, she loved to spend time with her friends and family. She was happiest when she was laughing and enjoying being surrounded by her loved ones. She was opinionated and affectionate and loyal. She cared deeply about others and her spiritual faith was very important to her. She prayed and said the rosary every night, which took almost two hours because she said so many prayers for other people.
When talking about her life, Janice said, “It probably seems silly or too simple, but all I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother and to have my family know I loved them.” We knew.
In the afterlife, Janice rejoins her family and friends who preceded her, including her mother and father, her brother Bill Barnes, and her sisters Marsha Barnes, Barbara Gragg, and Mary Zang. She will also be with her great-granddaughter, Aubrey Kee, as well as her best friend, Joanne Cooper Mardis, both of whom were very much loved and missed by Janice. She will also be glad to see again her beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Bandit, along with other family pets with whom she shared her life, including dogs Goldie, Bono, Sheba, Ramsey, Caleb, and Ginger, as well as Rhubarb the cat.
Janice leaves behind many, including:
Her husband Larry Steele ; her son Tory Steele and his wife Lori Ann, and their children Daniel Barber and Zoey Steele ; her daughter Lori Penrose and her husband Michael Penrose, and their children: Bethany Kee and her husband, Chase Kee, and their son Logan Kee ; and Zachary Penrose and his wife, Mallorie Penrose, and their daughter Wrenley Penrose ; and her daughter Emrys “Emi” Moreau. Janice also leaves behind her sisters Jody Batson and Burdell Maez and their families, as well as her nieces and nephews: Ishmael, Ken, Michael, Karen, Cindy, Sharon, Jeff, Jeannette, Chuck, Rob, Rollin, Randy, Marsha, Kim, and Cleo. She also leaves behind several of her beloved friends from Planeview. Janice will be greatly missed by family cats Mia and Finn.
A funeral mass and Irish-style wake to celebrate Janice and her life will be held on Saturday, March 25th, 2023. For details and to RSVP, please contact the family.
For those who wish to make a donation in Janice’s memory, the family suggests: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (https://imaginationlibrary.com), Eastern Oklahoma Catholic Charities (https://cceok.org/broken-arrow), or the Tulsa SPCA (https://www.tulsaspca.org/donate).
Our family is grateful to the staff of Ascension St. John’s Hospital, especially Alexa, Larissa, Lisa, Jennifer, and Silvia, for their kindness and compassion in caring for Janice. We are also grateful to the staff of Floral Haven, especially Roger and Angelic, for their assistance during our grief. Our family also thanks the wonderful people at the Church of Saint Benedict, especially Karen, for their help and support.
Le grá go deo, Janice. Le grá go deo, Mom. Le grá go deo, Nonny.
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