Janice L Vandercar's Obituary
Janice L. Vandercar
DECATUR, Ill. Janice Louise (Jurgens) Vandercar, 91, of Decatur died on Friday, December 13, 2024, at Carriage Crossing of Decatur, with members of her family at her side.
Jan was born on January 20, 1933, in Minneapolis, one of six children of Nicolay B. Jurgens and Anna M. (Bigler) Jurgens. She grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She married Girard "Bud" Vandercar in Minneapolis on July 12, 1958, after first meeting him in a class at the University of Minnesota. He preceded her in death on August 11, 1997.
Jan is survived by six children, Mary (Phil) Jacobs of Ellsworth, Wis., Matthew (Leicia) Vandercar of Westmont, Ill., Anthony Vandercar of LaFayette, Ill., Theodore (Elizabeth) Vandercar of Decatur, Nicolay (Theresa) Vandercar of Flint, Mich., and Monica (Jeffrey) Lampe of Elmwood, Ill.
She was also blessed to have 19 grandchildren as survivors, Anna Jacobs, Becky Jacobs, Peter (Monique) Jacobs, Sarah Jacobs, Dane Vandercar, Nate (Molly) Vandercar, Alayna Vandercar, Emma (Michael) Kaschke, Claire (Kevin) Wood, Gretchen Vandercar, Audrey Vandercar, Mitchell Vandercar, Bradley Vandercar, Marie (Gabe) Kadoo, Monique Vandercar, David Vandercar, Henry Lampe, Victor Lampe and Walter Lampe; and four great-grandchildren, Stephen and Jack Kaschke, Dakota Wood and Jude Jacobs.
Other family members surviving include her siblings, Jerry (Marie) Jurgens of Burnsville, Minn., Judy Hogan of Hillsboro, Mo., and John (Lisa) Jurgens of Rathdrum, Idaho; and many nieces and nephews
Jan was preceded in death by her husband, Bud, and her siblings Joan Seeler and Jane Jurgens.
Known to be a bit of a free spirit, Jan spent her college summers waitressing at Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. She also spent a summer hitchhiking across Europe, where she met up with Bud while he was in the military.
Jan and Bud were married in 1958 in Minneapolis and, after some time in Chicago, moved to Little Rock, Ark., where three of their children were born. They returned to Illinois in 1963, moving to Decatur, where Jan lived for 61 years while birthing three more children, raising a family, making lifelong friends and growing her Catholic faith.
A homemaker for much of her married life, Jan also taught art, sold investments and worked at The Wabash Depot Antique Center.
A longtime supporter of Decatur's Barn Colony Artists, Jan enjoyed anything artistic. She could turn an old milk can into a collector's piece, piano innards into a backyard sculpture, driftwood into a fence, chicken wire and plywood into a Christmas tree and a piece of newsprint into a painting. She also enjoyed swimming in Lake Decatur well into her 80s. She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, where she was in the guitar group. Occasionally, she would pray over dead trees on the off chance that might bring them back to life.
A funeral Mass will be held at St. Thomas on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 11 a.m. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. at the church. Burial will be in Graceland-Fairlawn Cemetery in Decatur, where she will be interred next to Bud.
The family would like to thank the staff at Carriage Crossing.
Memorials can be made to St. Thomas Catholic Church, 2160 N. Edwards St., Decatur, IL 62526; or to the Decatur Area Arts Council (www.decaturarts.org), 125 N. Water St., No. 100, Decatur, IL 62523.
Friends and family members are encouraged to post condolences and remembrances of Jan online at www.moranandgoebel.com.
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