Janice Sommer

Janice Jo Himebaugh Sommer, age 81, of Grand Rapids, wearing her infamous purple hat, gained her wings on Friday February 11, 2022. Janice was born in Lansing, Michigan on August 5, 1940. As the oldest of eight children, she spent her childhood on a farm in Cheboygan, Michigan. If there ever was a chip off the old block, she was it. Just like her dad, Janice was always right, independent, resourceful, stubborn as a mule, and she inherited her father’s striking blue eyes. Life on a farm in those days was hard – heat in the winter and meat on the table were a luxury, while fruit pies and other humble fare the norm. She participated in the 4H club for six years and graduated from Cheboygan High School in 1957. In 1958 she was selected as the Cheboygan County Dairy Princess. A dairy queen and her cow! Janice represented the Cheboygan County Dairy Association that year which included her riding on a float for the Mackinac Bridge Dedication Festival. She graduated from County Normal and began her working career as a local schoolteacher not far from her family home. She taught in a one room schoolhouse and even taught her younger siblings. She would expand her education to eventually earn an associate degree in data processing from Lake Superior State in 1982, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1985 from Eastern Michigan University. Janice was an accomplished CPA and retired in 2005 from Wachovia Bank, describing it as the most wonderful place she ever worked. She was content with life’s simple pleasures: a sign of her humble beginnings. She enjoyed sailing, making quilts for her family and friends, and traveling occasionally. Like her dad, she grew very fond of parrots, and cherished her African grey parrot named CD (short for Complaint Department). Her strength and endurance carried her through life’s trials, aided by her stubborn and indomitable nature. These inherited qualities were clear to anyone who spent enough time in her orbit. With age she grew kinder and more understanding, but never lost her sharp sense of humor. Janice is preceded in death by her father, Allen Himebaugh; her mother, Elaine Himebaugh; her sisters, Jolinda Himebaugh Rogers, and Janinne Himebaugh DeMarco. Janice is survived by her five children and will be dearly missed as a mother, grandmother, and aunt. We will never forget the loving gaze of her spectacular blue eyes.