- Date Of Birth: April 15, 1935
- Date Of Death: June 30, 2019
- State: Michigan
Janet Kay (Casler) Eakins, celebrating the life of Janet Kay (Casler) Eakins, 84 (though she claimed her age reset to 29 every ten years or so). Jan was born on April 15, 1935, the youngest child of Ernest T. “Doc” and Beatrice T. “Beatty” (Waltz) Casler in Battle Creek. She was blessed with two siblings, Donald J. (Mary Lou, Ruth) Casler and Helen (Leslie) Houseman. Her parents, brother and sister preceded her in death. Jan married and lived in Battle Creek in 1951. In 1960, she moved with her husband and three children to Grand Rapids, later building a home on Campau Lake, which we remember fondly. In the 1990s, she and Frank took up residence in Oshtemo Township, Kalamazoo, MI. Jan worked a number of jobs before retiring at age 59. She worked on the line at Kellogg’s, Post Cereal, Hekman Bakery (which made her a Keebler elf), Grand Rapids Metalcraft. She was office manager, bookkeeper, sometime president, and co-owner of the family’s company Wolverine Paving.
Jan was known for her generosity, always on hand with a meal and a gift of her time when she saw a need. She enjoyed handicrafts; for several years she refurbished second-hand dolls with newly sewn clothes to donate to a mission store, and every family member received her hand-crocheted mufflers, afghans, and kitchen towel sets. Her passion for genealogy wasn’t limited to her own family, and she shared her expertise with many friends and family members over the years. In her downtime, she liked to read and play word games on her computer.
She adored kids. Jan will be sadly missed by her family: Frank, her husband of 68 years; children Sandy (Mike) Swanson, Stan (Donna) Eakins and Larry (Bonnie) Eakins; grandchildren Eric Swanson, Ariel (Eric) Hulett, Jason (Misty) Eakins, Nikki (Cody) Harvey, Kelly Verburg, Thomas (Cheryl) Laws, Richard (Heather) Laws and dozens of great- and great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws. Jan passed away at home on June 30, 2019.
