Janice Helen Franz

A memorial mass will be held June 27, 2022, 11:00 a.m., at Our Lady of Lourdes, 903 Bernadette Dr., Columbia, MO, with a luncheon to follow. A private inurnment will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Janice was born on October 16, 1927, in Alton, Illinois to Emmett and Helen Howard. She grew up in Wood River, Illinois. While in high school, Janice had a wonderful teacher who taught her to love chemistry. To gain practical experience in chemistry, she worked as a lab technician for Standard Oil. She was eligible for the job only because the men were at war, even though she earned the highest score ever recorded on the pre-employment test.

Janice left home in 1945 to attend the University of Illinois, a land-grant research institute. Her first choice was St. Louis University, however, they only accepted women in the home economics department. While the University of Illinois felt very large to Janice, with 25,000 students, it had one of the best chemistry departments in the country. Janice’s plan was to get her bachelor's degree and work as a chemist where she could think, plan, and discover. Janice graduated with a degree in Chemistry and was listed on the 1949 Bronze Tablet, an honor awarded to students graduating in the top 3% of the class.

Following graduation, Janice worked at the Illinois State Geological Survey as a spectrographic analyst. In 1951, Janice married John Franz, a fellow classmate and biochemist, and moved to Iowa so John could attend graduate school. Janice worked as a research assistant in a pediatric laboratory putting John through school.

In 1955, John and Janice moved to Columbia. Twenty years and four children later, Janice earned her master’s degree in Biochemistry in 1975 from the University of Missouri. She worked at the School of Medicine from 1972-1989 on many research grants in Pathology, Biochemistry, and Nuclear Medicine. She retired in 1989 when her first granddaughter was born. Janice loved science and making research discoveries but loved her grandchildren more.

Janice was a 67-year parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes and loved to sing in the choir. Janice also loved traveling with her grandchildren, white water rafting (which she did successfully until 2014), and gourmet cooking. For years, she and John were members of a gourmet and oenophile group. They loved good food and the wine paired with it. Janice was a member of the MU Fortnightly Club from 1955 to present and was honored as a 65-year member in 2020. She chaired the Genealogy Interest Group until 2017.

Janice and John were married for nearly 60 years. John preceded Janice in death on March 8, 2011.

Janice is survived by her sister, Roberta Ann Stegemeier of Anaheim, California; children: Kristine Dashiell (Hap) of Topping, Virginia; Colonel Jack Franz (Gina) of Bellbrook, Ohio; Kathleen Quinn (Tim Nielsen) and Janice Serpico (Michael) of Columbia; six grandchildren: Caitlin Franz-Quinn, Kerry Poage (Paden), Tucker Dashiell, Jessica, Jaclyn and Jaimie Franz and numerous nieces and nephews.

Janice was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Her family was her priority and a deep source of joy. She took immense delight in the accomplishments and adventures of her children and grandchildren. She was patient, kind, and loved unconditionally. She instilled the importance of acceptance, education, hard work, and the value of independence. We will miss her.

The family wishes to thank the staff for their hospitality and care at The Terrace, Mill Creek Village, and Kindred at Home.

Condolences c/o Memorial Funeral Home at 1217 Business Loop 70 W. Columbia, MO 65202. Memorial donations honoring Janice, can be made to The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri.