Janet H. Wagner

Janet Harrison Wagner was born December 22, 1938 in Roselle, New Jersey, the vivacious daughter of William and Elizabeth Harrison. Raised in Rahway, NJ with her brothers William and Daniel, or Billy and Bo as she so affectionately referred to them, Jan enjoyed an upbringing filled with love and the occasional sibling prank.

After completing her education, Jan joined Esso Research where she met her husband and the love of her life, Irven Frederick Wagner of Oakdale, Nebraska. The city girl and the farm boy were married in 1958 at the Presbyterian Church in Rahway. Their marriage of 53 years began with their honeymoon – or as Jan wittily referred to it, “the trip we took shortly after we got married.” That trip would take her from the Garden State to the Cornhusker State, where Irv was not able to convince her to settle down on the farm.

Instead, Jan decided to embark on what she referred to as “the life of a corporate wife.” And along the way, she made all the right moves – ten of them to be exact, starting with their trek from Rahway to Tuscon, AZ. The journey included four stops in Ponca City, OK that didn’t provide much of an outlet for her penchant for fashion; short stints in Billings, MT and Lake Charles, LA; and three visits to Houston, TX where she and Irv finally settled down and enjoyed their lives together from 1982 to the present, providing Jan with many more options for enjoyment than that small Oklahoma town.

When she wasn't packing and unpacking from her numerous moves, Jan’s interests started first and foremost with family – her husband, three children, eleven grandchildren and anyone else who could join her for dinner and share the wonderful pies she made that were filled with her love and filled all who enjoyed them with memories. Beware about ever asking about her grand children, because you might still be listening three hours later. As a matter of fact, you didn't have to ask because she was going to tell you anyway given the depth of her love for and pride in them. In addition to cooking and kids, Jan was able to fully enjoy the fruits of her labor – travel to points of interest near and far. When she wasn’t on the road, she was able to get a break from caring and sharing on the court, actively playing league tennis. And she found great inspiration and comfort in her involvement in both services and Sunday School at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church. But what she enjoyed most was outsmarting her engineer husband as the resident techie, figuring out all of the electronics that may have, at times, befuddled him. In short, anything Jan set her mind to, she could do. She also served as an active volunteer at M.D. Anderson, an institution that little did she know would become a much more significant part of her life.

Unfortunately for all who loved her, Jan was not able to rely on her sharp wits to beat the cancer treatment that took a toll on her. On October 13, 2011, she joined her Lord and Savior, where she continues to watch over the family whom she loved so much. Jan is survived by her loving husband, Irv; her son Skip, his wife Cindy, and their children Allie, Crystal, Jack and Mark; her daughter Jill, her husband Bill Uhlenhop, and their children Lauren, Christine and Pete; her son Dan, his wife Hillary, and their children Maddie, Riley, Katie and Avery; her brother Dan Harrison and his wife Cathy; and last, but not least, her mother Elizabeth Harrison, whose influence led Jan to be the unbelievable wife, mother and role model that we will all miss so much, but whom we know we’ll be reunited with in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Though Jan loved flowers, she would welcome donations to the Caring Forever Foundation through Memorial Drive UMC at [email protected]. Visitation will be held at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery on Monday, October 17th from 6:30PM to 8:00PM. Jan’s memorial service will be held at 10:30AM on Tuesday, October 18th at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston.