Janis Wood McKellar Obituary (1927

Janis Wood McKellar passed away and peacefully returned home on July 11, 2017. She was born October 23, 1927 to parents J. Arthur and Virginia Snow Wood, and was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. A very energetic and curious child, her brilliant red hair earned her the nickname “Pink”. Although she was a city girl, she quickly grew to love outdoor adventures—especially in the family cabin in the mountains south of the city. Later, she graduated from the University of Utah, married Glen McKellar and settled in Provo, Utah. They had three sons: John, Gary, and Jeff. They all shared her love of the outdoors and enjoyed yearly adventures together camping in the red rocks of Arches National Park and the green canyons at Timpanogos. Jan loved to serve people—especially youth. She worked for years as an administrative assistant at Rock Canyon Elementary and loved interacting with the children. As a scout leader, she helped an astounding 150+ young men earn their Eagle Scout award and received the Silver Beaver award for her contributions to scouting. There was nothing more important to Jan than her family. She cherished her husband and sons, and considered her daughters-in-law Diane, Kim, and Sherry as her own daughters. She also loved being “Grandma Jan” to her nine grandchildren. Jan loved serving in the LDS Church and considered her testimony of her Savior Jesus Christ as a cornerstone in her life. She served faithfully in many Church callings. She was known for her generous heart and her kind service. After her husband passed away, she enjoyed arranging outings for the other seniors in her neighborhood to attend plays and concerts. Other favorite past-times include knitting afghans (to give to family members and friends, of course), writing family histories, adventure and mystery movies, and above all the pleasant company of friends and loved ones. Jan is preceded in death by her husband Glen and her oldest son John. She is survived by her son Gary and his wife Kim, her son Jeff and his wife Sherry, and grandchildren Kathryn, Camille, Rachel, Andrew, Cassandra, Nathaniel, Michael, Carrie, and Christopher. The McKellar family wishes to express sincere gratitude to all those at BeeHive Homes of Draper and Brighton Home Health & Hospice for the wonderfully loving care provided to Jan over the last years of her life. They also wish to thank all those friends, family, and neighbors who faithfully served, cared for, and loved her. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday July 17, 2017 at the Rock Canyon Chapel, 3050 Mojave Lane, Provo, Utah. Friends may call at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Sunday, July 16 from 6-8:00 p.m. and at the church Monday, from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Eastlawn Memorial Hills. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bergmortuary.com