Janice Wenger Middour, of Fayetteville, PA died June 24, 2024, after a short illness. She passed peacefully at home, surrounded by her friends and family.
Born Janice Louise Wenger on April 5, 1931, in Quentin PA, she was the daughter of Helen (Leibig) Wenger and Myer Wenger.
She graduated from Cornwall High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science from Juniata College in 1953. There, Jan met her soon-to-be husband Jack Middour of Waynesboro, PA. By the following June, Janice Wenger, Junita’s 1953 May Queen married Jack Middour in Cornwall Pennsylvania.
A loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Janice was preceded in death by her beloved husband Jack, sister Mary (Wenger) Zellers and brother Robert Wenger.
She is survived by her siblings Connie (Wenger) Kershner and Thomas Wenger.
Janice took great joy and pride in her two sons, Jeffrey Alan Middour and Jay Wenger Middour, both of Virginia. Her grandchildren Tessa (Middour) Ercoli, Rebecca Lynn Middour and Jack Harmon Middour were the light of her life, and she was additionally blessed with three great granddaughters, Lenna Ercoli, Maisey Ercoli and June Middour.
A much-admired elementary school teacher and reading specialist, Janice worked for 36 years in the Waynesboro Area School System. She began teaching in Quincy Township in 1954 at the old Mowery Building and was the last teacher to work in a tiny two-room schoolhouse on Quincy’s Shoestring Hill. That little building had a woodstove and an outhouse, but no running water. So, in all kinds of weather, Jan led the students on a daily march to a nearby well and back again – carrying enough water to last the day.
Always handy with a song, Janice was a music lover, a good piano player and a wonderful singer. An avid theater goer, whether in London, New York, or elsewhere, she never missed the latest show. Throughout her life she was a passionate advocate for equality and social justice. She volunteered her time and talent teaching English as a second language to newly arrived immigrants in and around Waynesboro. Her husband Jack was a well-known potter and sculptor. She contributed to his art using textiles and weaving. Together they traveled and exhibited their work in galleries and art fairs across the country. Her family and friends feel blessed to have known Janice and will miss her always.
At a later date, a celebration of life will be held by the family.
Services will be announced at www.bowersoxfuneralhomes.com
Grove-Bowersox Funeral Home, Waynesboro is handling the arrangements.
