Janice Jean Sawle

Janice Jean (Reeve) Sawle left to be with her beloved husband, Roger Mathew on February 8, 2025. She was born the fourth of six children, October 15, 1941, to Russell and Jennie (Crary) Reeve in Dodgeville, WI.

She married Roger on April 11, 1959 and they were married 61 years. They lived in Arena, WI until 1974 when Roger got a job at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.

In their years in Arena, they started their own business - a campground on the family farm where people would come to fish in the creek and just relax. It became a great summer place to spend time with friends and relatives. The adults talked and relaxed while all the kids played together and got into good trouble. The nights at "the camp" were filled with bonfires and cookouts.

Janice was a cheerleader in high school and continued to be a cheerleader for her girls and eventually her grandkids. She encouraged them to be adventurous and have fun, to step outside their comfort zone and to go after what they wanted. 

Janice and Roger never missed a concert, play or any other activity their girls were involved in, letting them know how proud they were. Janice never hesitated to brag about them, expertly embarrassing them in the process.

Janice never did anything halfway, diving into projects with joy. She had an artistic flare, from ceramics to crafts, to teaching herself to play guitar. 

She was a fantastic cook. Thanksgiving and Christmas were always made very special because of the work she put into her holiday feasts, which usually included at least 8 pies, including cherry, blueberry, pumpkin and pecan. 

Christmas was an especially magical time. Even after the girls were all grown and had moved out of the house, the magic continued every Christmas. You wouldn’t think it would be possible, but she stepped it up a notch or two for her grandsons, Jem and Riley, who she loved so much and who she was so, so proud of.

Janice and Roger loved to travel and took the girls on many road trips. The most notable, hitting all the eastern states with the four girls rotating, each taking a turn in the hatchback as they traveled along in their Honda Accord. They loved riding their bikes, logging thousands of miles on their two wheeled camping trips and sometimes riding a hundred miles in a day. In their retirement they loved to go to Florida in the winter and were content to lie on the beach and read. 

Janice, with Roger as an accomplice, was an avid wildflower thief! They always had a shovel and bucket in the car and would often stop and dig up wildflowers and then plant them at the cabin. In all the years of doing this, they were never once arrested!

 Janice loved dogs and nature and would celebrate each new bloom of the flowers she and Roger had planted. She loved to listen to the birds sing that lived in the bird houses she and Roger built.

Janice and Roger were happiest when they were helping others. They were always the first ones to pull over and help someone with a flat tire or a broken-down car. During Hurricane Katrina, they went down to the Gulf States and helped the Red Cross provide services to those in need.

Janice was a volunteer at Gundersen Hospital for 30 years and put in over 10,000 hours helping sick children. She spent special time with little Jessara, providing extra love in her too short life.

She cared for her neighbors Cy and Vera, peacefully navigating each of their journeys through cancer and providing comfort in their last days. She was an extraordinary prayer warrior and was always there to lend an ear and provide comfort.

Janice was genuinely interested in others and in hearing how you were doing and what you'd been up to. She truly adored children, perhaps because of her joyful, never aging heart. She was a bright light to those who knew her, and she will always be remembered for her kindness, spontaneity and generosity. 

She is survived by her four daughters, Sherry Lynn, Marcia Beth (partner Steven Henry), Nanette Michelle (Richard Nelson), and Angela Joy (Sam Finkelstein). Grandsons Jeremy 'Jem' Nelson and Riley Nelson. She is also survived by her sister Millie Tschudy, many special nieces, nephews and her surrogate family, Drs Collin and Susanna Driscoll and their children Marinda, Gabe and Makayla, whom she saw as grandchildren. 

Janice was preceded in death by her parents, husband Roger, and siblings Roger (Red), Bob, Vickie and Sharon.

Sherry, Marcia, Nan and Angel wish to thank the Gundersen Hospice team for their gentle care and making the last part of Janice’s journey comfortable and peaceful.

The girls would also like to thank their mother's long-term physician Dr. Joan Matey Romeyn for her compassionate care and her radiologist Dr. Colin Driscoll, for giving this survivor decades of life following her cancer treatment.

Lastly, they would like to give a special thank you to the wonderful staff at Springbrook Village in La Crescent, MN for taking care of Janice and Roger in the last years of their lives. The CNA's became an extended family and showed not only caring but love to both Janice and Roger.

Services will be held on Saturday, February 15th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 701 Well Street, Onalaska WI. Visitation will be at 2:30 pm followed by a memorial service at 3:30 pm, with a luncheon provided after the service. If you are unable to attend the services on Saturday, you can attend virtually by clicking the following link https://zoom.us/j/98553828019.

 Because Janice loved McDonalds and also loved helping children, memorials may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. RMHC.org.