Janice Helen O'Briant

Janice Helen Havenstein was born March 26, 1941 to August and Helen (Snodgrass) Havenstein on their farm on Deep Creek Road in Manhattan, KS. Janice lived with August and Helen in their Deep Creek home from 1941 through 1957, and then for the next 2 years in their home on N. Manhattan Ave, in Manhattan. She graduated from Manhattan High School in May of 1959. In her senior year, she began work at the Woolworths store in downtown Manhattan where she met and started dating Billie Joe Dodd. Janice and Bill were married December 1959 and moved to Indianapolis, IN following the wedding. Janice worked in the RCA manufacturing plant welding filaments in light bulbs in Indiana. She returned to Manhattan in October and gave birth to Crystal in 1960. She divorced Bill in September 1961.

Janice then went to work at Wharton Manor Nursing Home in Manhattan as a nurse’s aide. She met Vondel Francis O’Briant, and they were married in June 1962. Their first son, Thomas, was born in 1963. Von was then formally transferred back to the 101st Airborne Division located in Ft. Bragg, NC in 1964 where their daughter Tracy was born later that year. Janice and the three children flew back to Manhattan to live with her parents when Von was deployed to Vietnam in 1965 then moved to Aurora, Colorado when Von was injured in 1967 and sent to Fitzsimmons hospital for treatment.

Following his discharge, the family returned to Manhattan in 1968. Timothy O’Briant was born in 1970. Due to Tim having several health issues, the family relocated to Colorado a second time. While there, Janice worked for the 7/11 company running their regional deli department making sandwiches that she delivered to the Denver area stores daily. The family moved back to Manhattan, KS for the final time in the summer of 1976 so Janice could help with her mother’s deteriorating health.

In 1979, Janice was hired at the Country Kitchen restaurant as a day shift waitress for approximately 3 years until an unfortunate accident occurred. On Veteran’s Day in 1982, Jan and Von lost their mobile home in Colonial Gardens Mobile Home Park in Manhattan, due to a faulty wiring connection in the wall. They managed to escape unharmed with only the clothes on their backs and their car.

Janice eventually went to work for Barbara and Ron Price in 1994, as on-site manager of the Aztec Self Storage facility located close to the airport. Jan continued to work there for a total of 22 years, until her retirement in 2016. Immediately following her retirement, Jan moved to Onaga, KS to be closer to her daughter Tracy. For the past 8 years, Janice enjoyed small town living, volunteering at the local church thrift shop, volunteering with the local Historical Society and playing bingo and cards with her friends.

Janice has been preceded in death by her husband, her parents, four brothers, Don, Gene, Bob, and Neil Havenstein and three sisters-in-laws, Leona, Faye, and Nancy Havenstein, daughter Tracy Ivy, Tracy’s husband Steve Ivy and grandson Richard Ince.

She is survived by a brother, Gerald Havenstein (Joyce), daughter, Crystal Sapp (Joe), two sons, Thomas O’Briant (Jennifer) and Timothy O’Briant, seven grandchildren: Kandi Steger, Sandy Carll (Joe), Joe Sapp Jr., Tiffany Sanders (KJ), Stormy Millering (Dennis), Jeremiah Ivy, and Tyler O’Briant, twelve great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

A gathering to meet with family will be held Thursday, October 17th from 6 to 8 pm at Parkview Funeral Home, 1317 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS. A funeral service is scheduled for Friday, Oct 18th at 10 am at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 4801 Anderson Ave, Manhattan, KS followed by graveside interment at the Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Zeandale.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to Big Lake Developmental Center or the Onaga Senior Center in Janice's name.