Janice "Jan" (Hinnenkamp) Bender

On November 20, 2023 Jan Hinnenkamp Bender left the good fight here on earth, to continue on in a heavenly venue. Born in Wichita on June 13, 1956 to John Bernard Hinnenkamp Jr. and Wilma Marie Schoeder, she was never one to hide her feelings or opinions. After losing her mother to Huntington’s Disease at an early age, she took up the fight to counter the damage that silence and stigma could have on families who were suffering.

Along with other Wichita area families, she helped found the Donald J. Allen Memorial HD Clinic and continues to be an avid supporter of its sister, the Hereditary Neurological Disease Centre. There, along with many others, she helped organize large fundraisers, such as Boogie Woogie Wichita and HD hoop-a-thons out at WSU. After volunteering together for over 35 years, she thought of many in the HD community as her extended family.

Along the way, Jan became involved with school PTAs and Girl Scouts, the things devoted mothers do. She enjoyed spending summers at Cowtown reenacting early Wichita with the Girl Scouts. Through her parent-teacher involvement and an incident involving her son, she helped organize Parents Against Violence, which helped change district policies on bullying and victims’ rights. She was also active in her Neighborhood Watch and organizing block parties for the neighbors.

These efforts were rewarded with her earning the Intrust First Citizen Award in 1996.

A professional student from 1974 to 1996, when she earned her teaching degree from WSU, she taught in various schools as a substitute and student teacher. About 2007, life chose a different path for Jan, and she had to abandon her dream of teaching. The onset of Huntington’s caused her to make adjustments and prepare for the future.

She had a fondness for art that led her to meet her husband, Ed. She had a mirror with a wood frame that needed repair, and asked Ed if he could repair it, which he did. They enjoyed 45 years of marriage and then some.

Always eager to be helpful and take care of those around her, Jan continued helping others even as her years-long battle with HD limited her reach. She spent the morning of her passing eagerly helping her caregivers complete their tasks. She passed suddenly from complications of Huntington’s Disease on November 20, 2023 in the comfort of her home.

Jan is survived by: her husband Ed, her children Josh (Camila) and Liz (Travis), her grandchildren June, Bea, and Alex, and her brother Jack Hinnenkamp (Linda), as well as the Ecks in Beloit and Salina.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM on Monday, November 27, 2023, at Resthaven Mortuary in Wichita, Kansas.

Graveside Service will be held 10:30 AM on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at Resthaven Gardens of Memory in Wichita, Kansas, in the Garden of Freedom.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to the Hereditary Neurological Disease Centre in Wichita, KS (www.huntingtonsdiseaseclinic.com/donate).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ResthavenMortuary-Cemetery.com for the Bender family.