Janet L. Marshall

Janet Louise Marshall was the youngest of five children born to Leslie and Mary Bateman, and reared in Mansfield, Illinois on a guernsey dairy farm.  She was born on October 20, 1936 and died in Iowa City, Iowa on October 27, 2022 at the age of 86.  Her beloved husband of 62 years, Rodger Dean Marshall, predeceased her six weeks ago on September 17. 

Janet and Rodger were the proud parents of four children:  Lynette Marshall (Jeffery Ford) of Iowa City, IA, Toby Marshall (Kimberly) of Lafayette, IL, Douglas Marshall (Elaine) of Albuquerque, NM, and Kelly Marshall of Chase, MI.  They also had a daughter, Mary Ruth, who died shortly after her birth.  They enjoyed their seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Janet attended Mansfield schools and graduated from Mennonite School of Nursing in Bloomington-Normal with her RN in 1957.  She immediately moved to Peoria and began her nursing career at Methodist Hospital.  She nursed part-time for most of the rest of her career, while also rearing four children, farming with Rodger, and being an active community volunteer. 

Janet belonged to the Methodist Church in Mansfield and then joined Rodger as a member of the LaPrairie United Methodist and later the LaPrairie United Presbyterian Church.  She was active in the United Presbyterian Women for decades, served on the church session as an elder and chair, and contributed substantially to the life of the church.  She served as a 4-H club leader and regularly volunteered at, and donated blood for blood drives, being recognized as a multi-gallon donor. After retirement she and Rodger became active at Pearce Community Center, drove children to the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Chicago, volunteered for the Peoria Red Cross, and enjoyed bicycling with friends.  She also participated in two volunteer mission trips to Haiti with local volunteers. Janet spent several years volunteering for hospice, continuing her compassionate care for those in need.

Janet enjoyed a lifetime association with the International 4-H Youth Exchange Program (IFYE) and she and Rodger cherished travelling and hosting new friends from around the world.  Katharina Steinrucke, of Ennepetal, Germany, was like a third daughter to them.  They visited all 50 states together and many foreign countries.  They were Illini and Hawkeye fans, cherishing their children’s and grandchildren’s alma maters as their own.

Janet and Rodger graciously moved from Prospect Hill Sesquicentennial Farm on which they lived to Iowa City in 2019 to be closer to family.  Janet was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Dale and Gene, and sister Joanne.  She is survived by her dear sister Dorothy Eddings.

Janet’s services will be on Sunday, November 6 at the LaPrairie Presbyterian Church, 701 CR 400 E, Sparland, IL.  Visitation will be from 1 – 2:30 pm and funeral at 2:30. Burial will follow at Blue Ridge Methodist Cemetery, 22426 North Blue Ridge Road, Edelstein, IL.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the LaPrairie Presbyterian Church, 701 CR 400 E, Sparland, IL 61565.  Arrangements are under the care of Weber-Hurd Funeral Home in Chillicothe.