Janis L. Schumacher

Janis L. Schumacher, 66, Fairmount, ND, passed away Sunday, May 21, 2017, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND.

The funeral service will be Saturday, May 27, at 10:00 a.m. at Bethania Lutheran Church in Rosholt, SD, with Rev. Nancy Quatier officiating. Music will be provided by organists Ruby Larsen and Lana Sand and vocalists will be the Gospel Group.

Burial will be at a later date in the Bethania Cemetery, Rosholt. Honorary pallbearers will be all of Janis's students and friends at the White Rock Colony and all of Janis's students and friends at the New Effington Elementary School. Active pallbearers will be Mitchell Mallberg, Larry Meyer, Paul Meyer, Amy Boles, Kay Brandenburger and Al Kjelden.

Visitation will be Friday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at Bethania Lutheran Church. The Eggers Funeral Home in Rosholt is in charge of the arrangements.

On December 10, 1950, Janis Leigh Hickman was born to Clark and LaVonne (Nasvik) Hickman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She graduated from Sioux Falls Lincoln High School in 1969 and attended Augustana College, graduating cum Laude in 1973 with a major in history and minors in German and French.

Janis married Bruce Schumacher at Hope Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls on June 23, 1973. She worked in the pharmacy and business office of Sioux Valley Hospital until moving with Bruce to Wessington, South Dakota, in 1977, where Bruce taught high school, and Janis became a full-time mother to the couple's two children, Jana and Adam. In 1979, a third child, Jordan, was born, and in 1981 Janis and Bruce were blessed with their fourth child, Brooke. Also in 1981, the family moved to Forman, ND, where Bruce served as principal at Sargent Central High School and Janis continued working as a mother while accepting substitute-teaching positions at Sargent Central. During this time, Janis earned a second major in elementary education from Valley City University.

In 1998, Janis and Bruce moved to Fairmount, North Dakota. In 1999, Janis began a full-time career in education when she accepted the position of teaching for the Rosholt, SD, school district at the White Rock Hutterite Colony school, where Janis taught grades K-8.

Janis loved working at the colony. Always interested in new people and new experiences, Janis loved the children and people on the colony and forged lifelong friendships. To the end of her life, she valued the experiences she had and the relationships she found at White Rock.

In 2008, Janis accepted a position in New Effington, SD, where she taught grades 5-6. Again, she found joy in her work and in new acquaintances. She loved her students and worked with a passion matched by few. In 2016, Janis transferred from the New Effington, which had closed, to the Sisseton Middle School to teach 6 ^th and 7 ^th grade math. Sadly, in 2013 cancer entered Janis's life. She battled successfully against her disease until the fall of 2016 when complications forced her to retire from the career she loved.

On May 21, 2017, wrapped in the love of her children, her grandchildren, her best friend, her siblings, and her husband of 44 years, Janis moved peacefully from this life to the next, ending a life of love and service that touched the lives of many and left an emptiness that shall never be filled.

Possessed of a brilliant mind and insatiable desire for knowledge, Janis read whenever she could. Her home contains several thousand books. For Janis, a favorite evening pastime was long conversations with Bruce about topics ranging from medieval cathedrals, to Harry Potter novels, to politics or British history, a topic she knew well. Janis loved traveling. She loved being with family and traveling. Visiting her daughter in Washington or her brother in Michigan, were favorite long trips for Janis. She and Bruce visited Janis's sister in London, England, several times. While there, they traveled to Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and visited many historic places on the Island of Great Britain. She and Bruce had scheduled a "Thinking Man's Cruise" around the coast of Norway this summer.

Janis loved her home and kept it immaculate. She was a wonderful wife and mother. Above all else, Janis treasured the people in her life. Her children were her greatest source of pride and pleasure; her grandchildren the crown jewels of her life. She was blessed with 10 grandchildren and spent time with them whenever she could. Janis's most treasured hours were those spent with her children and grandchildren.

Janis was preceded in death by her parents. She leaves behind four children: Jana (Tony) Mallberg of Big Lake, Minnesota; Adam (Brook) Schumacher of Sioux Falls, SD; Jordan (Gina) Schumacher of Fargo, ND; and Brooke (Randy) Massey of Vancouver, WA. She leaves ten grandchildren: Mitchell, Jakob, and Jonah Mallberg; Brendan, Alena and Kayleigh Schumacher; Spencer and Teagan Schumacher; and Elleitte and Bijan Massey. Janis is survived by one brother, Randall Hickman of Macomb, Michigan; and two sisters, Barbara (Noel) White of London, England; and Kären (Wayne) Hess of Sioux City Iowa.

Janis's greatest joy in life was the people in her life. Simply being with her family, her students, her husband, her coworkers, and her friends made her happy. Janis was loved deeply and admired greatly by many people. She shall be missed.