Jan (Miller) Crocker, 77, passed away April 23, 2023, of pancreatic cancer at her home in Manhattan.
She was born April 10, 1946, in Wamego, KS, the daughter of LeRoy and Roberta Miller. She grew up on her family’s farm near Wamego and attended Wamego schools. Music and 4-H were favorite activities during Jan’s youth. She studied at Kansas State University earning a master’s degree in Family and Child Development in 1970. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority and served as chapter president. Following college, she accepted a position as a Family Life instructor at Stout State University, Menomonie, WI.
Jan met Jack Crocker while she was a graduate teaching assistant at K-State. They were married in Menomonie on January 9, 1971. In 1974, Jan and Jack returned to Manhattan where their son Matthew was born. From then on, they called Kansas home, living a few years in Lawrence before moving to Topeka where Jack began his long-time association with Manhattan Buildings, Inc. They returned to Manhattan in 2013.
During her 28 years in Topeka, Jan attended Washburn Law School and was an auditor for the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. She volunteered at Matt’s schools and in the Topeka community, was a member of Chapter DV of the P.E.O. sisterhood, and a docent at Cedar Crest. She trained as a Shawnee County KSU Extension Master Gardener, and was a proud member of Western Sorosis, a literary club which provided friendships and intellectual stimulation. While a member, she wrote and presented five scholarly papers.
Jan enjoyed reading (especially history), liked newspapers, learning new things, and taking walks. She loved working in her garden and tending her many container-grown plantings. Birdwatching and nurturing the wide variety of birds returning yearly to their backyard feeding stations was a vocation for the couple as was creating a sanctuary for butterflies. Jan found joy spending time with her grandchildren whether it was vacationing in Colorado when they were young or attending their athletic events as they grew.
Travel was a priority for both Jan and Jack. While they liked Colorado in summer, Sarasota, Fl was a top winter destination. Trips abroad included many European river cruises and several “Traveling Wildcats” trips with other K-Staters. A recent South American ocean cruise that explored life along the Amazon River was their favorite.
An appreciation of her agricultural heritage remained with Jan as she and Jack continued farming land in Riley and Wabaunsee counties that had been in her family for decades.
Jan was a 50-year member of P.E.O. and a current member of Manhattan’s Chapter GU. Playing Mah Jongg on Monday afternoons with a special group of GU sisters was a highlight of her week. Jan was a former member of the “Friends of McCain” Board of Directors, and she and Jack enjoyed attending many special performances at McCain Auditorium. She was also a friend and supporter of the KSU Gardens and a volunteer for and supporter of Good Shepherd Homecare & Hospice. She was a long-time member of the Columbian Theater in Wamego.
Jan was preceded in death by her father in 2010, her younger brother, Jerry, in 2013 and her mother in 2018, at age 100. She is survived by her husband Jack, of 52 years, son Matt (Taira) and grandchildren Madeline, Claire, and Jack of Manhattan; a sister, Judy Scammon, of Prairie Village, KS, and many cherished friends.
A funeral service will be held, Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Wamego United Methodist Church with burial in the Wamego City Cemetery.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Good Shepherd Hospice House and can be left in care of Campanella & Stewart Funeral Home, 4370 Salzer Rd, PO Box 48, Wamego, KS 66547. Family will greet friends at the Iron Clad (main street Wamego) following services.