- Date Of Birth: November 11, 1940
- Date Of Death: January 30, 2022
- State: Indiana
Karol “Janie” Gruen, 81, of West Lafayette entered into the Lord’s presence on Sunday, January 30th, 2022, at Westminster Village in West Lafayette.
She was born on November 11th, 1940, in Henrietta, TX to the late Lewis R. Selvidge and Iva J. (Pickett) Selvidge. Following graduation from high school, she attended Southern Illinois University and completed her Bachelors’ Degree at the University of Illinois in Elementary Education. Janie married Jerry Gruen in Champaign, IL on March 20th, 1960. They were both active members of Calvary Church in West Lafayette and avid Purdue fans.
Janie was a loving mother, grandmother and homemaker. Known as being a “kind woman with a gentle smile,” she quietly lived out her passion for touching people who were hurting. She often was known to say, “God never wastes a hurt.” She worked for 15 years as Parish Life Coordinator at Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Lafayette. During her time there, she participated in Covenant’s Compassion Ministries, oversaw the deacon ministries of compassion, and helped establish New Focus, a biblically-based financial planning program for families. Janie was also involved in several of the church leadership and ministry teams at Calvary Church, where she was admired for her strong faith, wisdom, and compassion.
She was a loyal Purdue Sports fan and attended football and basketball games regularly throughout her life. In the last two years, even after the death of her husband, the implementation of COVID restrictions, and the onset of her dementia, she still enjoyed watching Purdue games on television and could often be found jumping up and down while cheering on her Boilers. She loved to snack on peanut brittle, chocolate and most anything sweet. Above all, she cherished time spent with her family and friends.
She is survived by a daughter, Tami (Bruce) Borror of West Lafayette; 6 grandchildren, Tracie (John) Scheel of Lafayette, IN, Andrew (Kellan) Borror of Chapel Hill, NC, Noelle (Lamar) Sledge of Lafayette, Lillyanna (Josiah) Richardson of Bloomington, IN, Hannah Baker of Lafayette, and Hope Baker of Bloomington, IN.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Lewis “Ronnie” Selvidge, II, her daughter, Christy Baker Mun, and her beloved husband, Jerry Gruen.
Entombment will follow at Tippecanoe Memory Gardens, 1718 W 350 N, West Lafayette, IN 47906.
