Janice L. “Jan” Rodriguez
March 17, 1944 – Dec. 26, 2022
Cherished wife and mother, Janice L. “Jan” Rodriguez, 78, died at home in Clark, Wyo., where she had lived for 12 years, on Tuesday morning, Dec. 26, with her loving husband, Bob, at her bedside.
She had dealt with dementia, first diagnosed some 10 years ago. The condition grew progressively worse until her death. She is a former resident of Lovell, Wyo., and Cave Junction, Ore. During her situation she and her husband were the recipients during the past several months of much-appreciated help from Stillwater Hospice of Lovell, soon relocating to Powell.
Jan was born on March 17, 1944, in San Diego. She graduated in 1962 from Chula Vista High School. Her senior class was among the first to visit the nation’s capital, and she was pleased to have met President Kennedy. She attended Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista after graduation. She was known for her kindness and artistic creativity.
She wed Robert R. “Bob” Rodriguez, who survives, in 1964 in St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Chula Vista. She had met him at Southwestern in 1962, and they dated and were engaged for two years prior to their marriage. The couple also underwent a marriage sealing ordinance at the LDS Temple in Seattle in 1989.
The couple raised three children, who survive her. The family lived in Chula Vista, Escondido, Bonita and Poway in San Diego County, where Jan worked as a registered cosmetologist, from 1976 to ’79, when they moved to Brookings, Ore. Jan continued her employment there with Marsha Geraghty, who became her longtime friend, ending only with Jan’s death.
The two friends left the beauty shop business in 1984 to operate the Ship Ashore gift shop and museum in Smith River, Calif., near Brookings, continuing that endeavor until approximately 1991.
While still in her new undertaking, Jan and her husband moved in 1986 to Cave Junction, Ore., to take over publication of the Illinois Valley News, a weekly newspaper. During her off days, Jan helped operate the newspaper, handling the bookkeeping and ad building. The couple left the newspaper in 2009, relocating to Lovell and a year later to Clark.
Besides her husband, Jan is survived by a son, Michael, in Newberg, Ore., and a daughter, Vicky Slate, in Edgewood, Wash., plus five granddaughters and one grandson. She also leaves behind a son, Robert “Bob” Jr., in Brookings, as well as numerous friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and several aunts and uncles.
Ballard Funeral Home of Cody, Wyo., is in charge of cremation services. The family will hold a private remembrance gathering at a later date.