Janice Waits, 83, of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed into the loving arms of her Savior on October 15, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Janice Dale Kirk was born to Jim and Marie Kirk in Cameron, Texas on March 22, 1939. She grew up near Sheridan, Texas where she graduated from Sheridan High School. After high school she attended business college in Houston, Texas. Janice married her High School sweetheart, John Larry Waits on June 20, 1959. They shared 28 years of marriage before John passed away in 1988. In 1999, Janice married Gus Boss and they were married 20 years until his death on October 27, 2019.

John and Janice were two small-town kids who ended up living all over the United States and even abroad. When they were first married, Janice worked while John finished his education at Texas A & M University. John's work had them moving around quite often: including Luanda, Angola where they helped start a Baptist Church, Miami, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1975 where she lived until 2019 when she moved to Kansas City to be closer to her children.

Janice loved the Lord and her family. She was a fastidious keeper of the home, a great cook, and enjoyed taking care of her yard and plants. She had a fun sense of humor and laughed hardest at herself. She was a faithful children's Sunday School teacher up until the time she could no longer lift or carry the babies safely. There is no telling how many precious lives she touched over the years. After John passed away, she began working at River Field Country Day School where she was the "face" of the school as she managed the front desk and welcomed children and parents to school each day.

Janice was preceded in death by her parents; husband, John Waits; brother Donald Kirk; and son-in-law Tom Shoemake. She will be missed by her children, John Kirk Waits and wife Terri of Kansas City, Missouri; her daughter Cheryl Witten and husband Tom of Trenton, Missouri; six grandchildren, Nick Waits and his wife Clare of Nutley, New Jersey, Austin and Eric Waits of Kansas City, Missouri, Bret Shoemake and his wife Brittany of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Clint Shoemake and wife Ji Yeon Lee who currently reside in Surabaya, Indonesia, and Ashten Loafman and husband Thomas of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; seven great grandchildren Nathan Waits, Beau and Ava Jane Shoemake, Theo and Madeline Shoemake, and Ezra and Brooks Loafman; two brothers Barron Kirk and wife Juanita and Rick Kirk and wife Maggie and many nieces, nephews, friends, and her Woodland Acres Baptist Church family.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest that donations be made to Life Options Green Hills Pregnancy + Health Center. Life Options is a pregnancy help center that her daughter Cheryl helped to start. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. www.partner.lifeoptionsgreenhills.com.