Janice Lee, 90, passed away on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at Wroten House in Meadowlark Hills in Manhattan. Janice (May Janice West) was born December 15, 1928 in Deerfield, Kansas to Frank and Nell (Barnes) West.
She remembered the dust bowl days of western Kansas. At a young age the family moved to Garden City. She went to college at Wichita University and completed a degree in Music Education. She taught school in Sterling, Kansas and eventually met her parents upstairs renter, Alan Lee. They were married in 1951 and had four children, Steve (Nancy Raleigh, Manhattan, Don (Rose Ann, Nashville, TN, Janna Petry (John, Satellite Beach, FL and Ken, Breckenridge, CO. There are eight grandchildren.
As a wife and partner in Lee Construction, the family built the state streets subdivision. While completing this they started building apartments. Janice leased apartments for the company while teaching piano and raising four kids.
In the Early 70's Janice served on the board of the local Manhattan Arts Council. She traveled all through Kansas helping set up local arts councils as a founding member and first president of the Association of Community Arts Agencies of Kansas (ACAAK). These helped bring all kinds of art to smaller communities in Kansas. Janice also was a member of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee for several years.
The First United Methodist church gave a framework to the family—Church, Sunday school, Choralaires, bell choir, choir, MYF, Acolytes kept Janice busy. She also was a member of PEO IW Chapter and the Little Apple Pilot Club.
She was preceded in death by her husband Alan Lee and three brothers; Madison, Ken and Howard West. In addition to her children and grandchildren she is survived by her brother Duane (Orvileta) of Garden City.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday November 19, 2019 at the First United Methodist Church, 612 Poyntz Avenue in Manhattan, with Rev. Melanie Nord officiating. Interment will follow the service in the Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan.
The family will receive friends on Monday November 18, 2019 from 5-7 p.m. at Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home.