Janice Mardell Everts, 88, of Gilman, IA died on October 22, 2024, surrounded by family, at Iowa River Hospice in Marshalltown, IA.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday, October 25, 2024 at Stavanger Friends Church, 4 miles south of LeGrand. The service will be livestreamed through the Smith Funeral Home Facebook page. Interment will follow at Prairie View Cemetery in Gilman. Family and friends are welcome to attend a luncheon back at the church following the burial. Family will receive friends for the visitation held from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM, Friday, October 25, 2024, at the church.

If desired, memorials may be designated to Gilman EMT and may be mailed in care of Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.

Janice Mardell Medhus was born on February 23, 1936 at the Grinnell Hospital, Grinnell, IA, to Omer and Marie (Ludlow) Medhus. She attended Gilman High School, where she participated in piano, band and she was the main piano player for the contestants attending at state competitions. She was united in marriage to Harley Raymond Everts on July 3, 1955, at the Gilman Community Church. Janice and Harley made their home southwest of Gilman, Iowa, where they farmed. They lived there for 26 years, before moving to Janice's family home farm northeast of Gilman, where she lived for 40 years.

She played the piano the majority of her life. The first thing she played for was a funeral that her dad requested, at the age of 13. She played the piano and organ for the Gilman Community Church for many years. She was also a member of "The Basics", a Family Gospel Band. She drove a school bus for Semco for 29 years. She would go fishing with Harley to Ely, MN many times. She would get tired of catching fish and rest her pole on the edge of the boat. Harley scolded her and said, "you can't catch anything if you don't put your pole in the water." One of her favorite things they did was to square dance and play cards with friends. Her hobbies were crocheting knitting, and making kringla. She loved the barn dances and loved making popcorn for the crowd. Her most favorite pastime was to go to Branson. She would go multiple times a year. Janice loved being a farm wife, homemaker, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. The family's fondest memory of her was her Fried Chicken!

Her memory will be cherished by her children, Mike (Kris) Everts, and Marcia Everts Burgess; grandchildren, Matt (Stefanie) Everts, Michela (John) Augustine, and Krista (Cody) Craighton; great-grandchildren, Skyler (Taylor) Everts, Samantha (Adam) Liebler, Margaret Augustine, Ava Augustine, Braxton Craighton, Reece Craighton, Bodie Craighton; 1 great-great-grandchild, Noah Everts, and another on the way.

In eternal life she was reunited with her husband, Harley; her parents Omer and Marie; sister Bernice; and brother-in-law Wilbur Crandon.