- Date Of Death: November 2, 2015
- State: Idaho
Jana Lurene Roberts, 44, of Portland, Maine returned to the loving arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ on November 2, 2015 at her home. All who met her were taken in by her larger-than-life personality, infectious smile, and boisterous laugh. The ability to relate to people and to help them feel loved and understood was her special gift.
Jana, the second child of Boyd D and Amy Lurene (Gross) Roberts, was born in the Dewitt Army Hospital at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia on February 12, 1971. When Jana was two, and her brother Alan was four, the couple who lived below the Roberts’ offered to help our family find a new apartment because the kids were “too rambunctious!” That word forever described Jana perfectly. After the family moved to Astoria, Oregon in 1972, Alisa, Wende and Jeffrey were born, and Jana quickly became the big sister. She loved life on the family farm and enjoyed raising show pigs, lambs, and rabbits for 4-H and receiving blue ribbons at the county and state fairs.
Jana was eleven when the family moved to Pocatello, Idaho, where her dad worked at Idaho State University. She enjoyed the benefits of living near the university and enjoyed bowling with her friends at the Student Union and swimming with her family at the campus pool. At Highland High School, Jana excelled in band, leadership, and student government. She was the leader of the drum line in the marching band, and was elected Student Body President in 1988. She earned a leadership scholarship to Brigham Young University. As part of her coursework, she took American Sign Language to fulfill her language requirement. She quickly discovered her talent for signing and working with the deaf community.
In 1998 she married James Harbaugh. To this union came daughter Hailey, and sons Jackson and Lucas Harbaugh, whom she adores. Jana and James were later divorced. In 2013, she married Rick Thurston who brought new joy into her life.
She worked in several private and public social work positions through the years as she raised her family. She opened a full-time counseling practice in 2011 and continued in that capacity until her untimely passing.
