Janice Marion (Kindig) Gries

Janice M. Gries, age 78, of Lawton, passed away on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at her home of Lawton.  A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Church of Moville with Msgr. R. Mark Duchaine officiating. Burial will be held at the Banner Township Cemetery of Lawton.  A visitation will be held on Friday, February 26, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. with a vigil prayer service at 7:00 p.m. and rosary service to follow at the Immaculate Conception Church of Moville.  Immaculate Conception Church will require all attendees of the funeral mass to wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Tunnels 2 Towers or St. Judes Children’s Hospital.  There will be a live stream of the funeral mass on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. A link will be provided at the www.nicklasdjensenfh.com.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cO2wJKXNNFQ&feature=youtu.be

Jan was born July 5, 1942, to Sherman Kindig and Dorothy (Ross) Kindig. She graduated as Valedictorian from Westfield High School in 1961. In 1963, Jan married her high school sweetheart, Jim Gries. She worked as the manager of the transit department at Northwestern National Bank until 1984. She also worked at Security National Bank and at Navaho Trucking.

Jan was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, as well as a host mother to exchange students Cathrine (Norway), Hanna (Finland), Fannie (Hong Kong), Paula (Spain), Jenny (Sweden), and Hideo (Japan). She enjoyed traveling, and in particular was so happy to have had the opportunity to travel with her husband to visit Cathrine in Norway in 2000. 

Jan loved cooking and sewing for her family and will be fondly remembered for the flannel pajamas she made first for her kids every Christmas, and then later for her grandchildren. She also enjoyed being an active member of the Lawton UTD Club.

Jan was very involved in her church, Immaculate Conception, in Moville, Iowa, volunteering and participating in the Ladies Guild of Immaculate Conception. She was passionate and devout in her religion, and was a member of Catholic Daughters of America. 

Although she was small in stature at only five feet tall, the impact of her loss will be felt by many, leaving a very large hole in the family. We will miss her dearly.

Jan is survived by her husband of 57 years, Jim; her three children, Mike (Korky) of Springville, Iowa; Teresa (Dan) Schlinger of Omaha, Nebraska; and Jenny (Steve) Crew, of Lawton, Iowa; as well as her grandchildren, Will, Emily, and Abby Gries; Noah and Nick Schlinger; and Harry, Jack, and Olivia Crew; as well as her sisters, Joellen (Darrell) Toben, Judy (Bob) Jaminet, and Mary Kindig.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Jim Kindig, and her infant brother Jonathan Kindig.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Dr. Jeffrey Kellogg and Dr. Robert Chad Wisco for the many years of excellent care they gave to Jan; also to members of the Lawton Ambulance crew, the Woodbury County Sheriff's Department, and Kurt Miene of the Iowa DOT, for their professionalism and compassion.

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