Janice Marie Vontz

Janice Marie Vontz

Oct. 26, 1939 -- Feb. 6, 2013

BAKERSFIELD California --Janice was born in McCook, Nebraska, to Harold and Ruth Klocke in 1939. She graduated from Indianola High School and married her high school sweetheart, Thomas Vontz in 1956. Together they had nine children. In 1960, the family moved to California, first to Merced, then to Fresno and in 1970 to Buttonwillow where they finally settled to raise their family.

Janice was very involved in her community. She served Saint Mary's Catholic Church in various capacities, and she was the Secretary and the Director of the Buttonwillow Senior Center. Janice was a very talented woman who had excellent homemaking skills and could do whatever she set her mind to. She was a Girl Scout leader, loved crafting and sewing, and was an amazing cake decorator. She was a wonderful cook, a very sharp card player and lived life full of energy, even up until her unexpected death.

Janice is survived by her husband of 57 years, Tom Vontz; her sons, Jeff Vontz and wife, Linda, Mike Vontz and wife, Janet, Keith Vontz and wife, Frances, and Doug Vontz; daughters, Susie Atkinson and husband, Darrell, Laura Cauzza and husband, John, Patsy Janzen and husband, Ron, Christi Hearn and husband, John, and Vicki Vontz. Janice was blessed with 19 grandchildren and was looking forward to the birth of her 9th great-grandchild later this year. She is also survived by her brother, Keith Klocke and his wife, Harriet and her sisters, Barbara Custer, Karon Chitwood and husband, Jim.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Ruth and Harold Klocke; mother and father-in-law, Elda and Marion Vontz; brothers-in-law, Clifford, Phil and Larry Vontz, and Dennis Custer; her sisters-in-law, Nadina Vontz, Delores Vontz, and her nephew Vincent Chitwood and niece, Rhonda Vontz.

She loved having her family together and would host Sunday dinners every couple of weeks for everyone to attend. She especially loved the holidays and her entire house would be festively decorated, complete with table decorations for holiday meals and her delicious homemade dinner rolls. She started many family traditions with her grandchildren including an annual gingerbread house decorating contest and when they were younger, a Christmas program that would be performed at the family's Christmas Eve celebration.

Janice's devotion to God and family was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was the heartbeat of her family, and words cannot describe how much she will truly be missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Janice's memory to St. Mary's Catholic Church, P. O. Box 875, Buttonwillow, CA 93206.

Funeral services were today Bakersfield, California. A Memorial Mass will be in Indianola, Nebraska, in late spring. More information will follow when services are scheduled.

Doughty-Calhoun-O'Meara Funeral Directors in Bakersefield is in charge of arrangements.