JANICE IRENE BENNETT

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 in the Cantlon Otterness Funeral Chapel with Brad Shockley officiating. Interment will be in the Memorial Gardens of Memory cemetery under the direction of the Cantlon Otterness Funeral Home of Buffalo. Visitation will be from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Monday at the Funeral Home.  

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church of Christ and left at the funeral home. Online condolences can be made at cantlonotterness. com.

Escorts are Dennis Bennett, J.T. Gaddy, Cody Bennett, Scott Jefferies, Chris Jefferies, Justin Bradam, Rex Bennett, Buddy McClanahan, David Hamman and Joey Peterson.

Janice Irene (Jefferies) Bennett, daughter of the late Wilbur Elgie and Goldie Irene (Liggenstoffer) Jefferies, was born on August 5, 1940, at home in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, and departed this life on May 26, 2017, at her home in Buffalo. At the time of her passing she was 76 years, 9 months and 21 days of age.

Janice moved to a farm south of Buffalo at the age of 1 with her mom, dad, brother, and beloved grandfather, Raymond Jefferies. Their farm was just south of where the Mennonite Church is now. They moved to Buffalo when she was about 13. Her father worked for Buffalo Lumber yard, Jones Funeral Home, and Jerry Cantlon at Cantlon Funeral Home until his retirement. He mother Goldie cleaned houses for Sherry Jo Davies and Dr. Church as well as Dr. Church’s Dentist Office. Elgie and Goldie were also the caretakers of the Buffalo United Methodist Church for many years. Janice and her family moved to Kansas City in 1967. While living there she worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a telephone operator. She then worked for Sears & Roebuck as their telephone operator for over 10 years. She moved back to Buffalo in 1979 where she worked at the chicken plant, Colonial Springs, and the Empire District Electric Company, where she worked for over 20 years until her retirement. Janice loved to travel, all you needed to say is “let’s go” and she was the first in the car. She had been to nearly every state except the northeast and northern middle states. She also loved sports, especially baseball, football, and NASCAR. She got her love of sports from her mom and has passed it down to her kids and grandkids. Everything in her life revolved around her grandkids, she loved them deeply and they meant the world to her. She was a great mom and grandma, and the love she gave was returned tenfold. She was loved as much as she loved. Janice was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and was less than one week of being 10 years cancer free when she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in November 2016. She fought a valiant battle and always had a positive attitude. Janice was a member of the Church of Christ in Buffalo. She had a very strong faith and had no doubt she would be reunited with her parents and loved ones and would stand before her Lord and Savior upon her passing.

Janice was preceded in death by her parents.

She is survived by two sons, Ed and wife, Lisa Bennett of Fair Grove, and Jim Bennett and Connie Davis of Springfield; two daughters: Debra Irene and husband, Danny McAdoo of Buffalo, and Leah Ann and husband, John Gaddy of Bolivar; one brother, Jim and wife, Juanita Jefferies of Crocker; 13 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. She also leaves a host of brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, and many friends who will all truly miss her.

(Paid for by family)