Carol S Janke

Carol Janke, age 70, passed away peacefully on August 28, 2017, at her home in Tarpon Springs, surrounded by her loving family. Carol was born on November 18, 1946, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Fred and Leona Scheer. Carol graduated from Washington High School and went on to attend UW Milwaukee, where she met the love of her life, Neal Janke. Carol and Neal married on October 2, 1965. After Neal entered the army, the newlyweds traveled frequently, living in both Panama and California before returning to Milwaukee, where Carol worked as a switch board operator. After their two children, Aaron and Elesa, were born, they moved to a cozy ranch home in Mukwonago, where they lived for 25 years before retiring in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Carol enjoyed being with children and worked as a school bus driver and a daycare provider for many years. Carol loved nature and the outdoors, and her favorite place was the family lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, where she had been visiting since she was 12 years old. She loved walking in the woods, listening to the loons on the lake and watching the sunsets over the water. Carol also enjoyed planting flowers, sewing, cooking and baking (including her famous lasagna and chocolate chip cookies), and collecting Snow White figurines. But most of all, she loved being a mother and a grandmother to her three beautiful granddaughters. Her sweet, loving nature touched everyone around her. Carol is survived by her husband of 52 years, Neal; her son, Aaron, and his wife, Alison; her daughter, Elesa Swirgsdin, and her husband, Karl; her three granddaughters, Savannah, Madison, and Mackenzie; her brother-in-law, Paul, and his wife, Catherine; and her niece, Margo, and nephew, Nicholas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.