Janice Bortz's Obituary
Jan Bortz graveside service click link. vimeo.com/439764026 Live Stream Link for Jan's Funeral Service youtu.be/-N3E02-vDCo Janice (Jan) Bortz, age 81, of Ames, Iowa, passed away at Northcrest Retirement Community in Ames on July 12, 2020, after a courageous battle with cancer. A gathering of friends and family for her celebration of life will take place at 1:30 p.m. on July 12, 2021, at First United Methodist Church, Ames, Iowa, followed by a light reception in the multipurpose room. Janice Elaine Shepherd was born March 6, 1939, in Bethesda, Ohio, the daughter of Keenan "Dick" and Helen (Price) Shepherd. She graduated from Bethesda Ohio High School. Jan then became a bookkeeper and keypunch operator in Columbus, Ohio, where she met her husband, Walter. They married on June 1, 1963. When the couple started a family, Jan became a full-time homemaker, wife and mother. They moved around as Walt finished his degrees before they arrived in Ames in 1971. She was the Treasurer for First United Methodist Church for four years and then became bookkeeper for Ames Golf and Country Club for nine years. Jan will be remembered for her willingness to help and her dedication to First United Methodist Church; serving as head usher for both services for a number of years, a Communion steward, a United Methodist Women member, and choir member. Some of her greater joys came by doing something for someone else when it was least expected. She loved to entertain or bake and share with her friends and other residents. Jan was preceded in death by her parents, infant brother, Tommy, and her husband, Walt, of 48 years. Jan is survived by her daughters; Elaine (David), Diane, and Cheryl; three grandchildren Savannah, Jacob, and Julian; and a brother, Reverend William (Alice). Online condolences may be directed to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com
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