Janet Diane Rupp

Janet Diane Rupp was born in 1947 to Kenneth and Marlys Hilton in San Bruno, CA. She grew up in the Bay Area in Northern California before moving to Napa as a young teenager. She spent many fond days there with her two little sisters, Elaine and Jeanine, many cousins, and dear friend Dena. It was while living there that she met her future husband, Morrie. While it took a while for her to warm up to him, he was immediately smitten. All who knew Jan and Morrie know that their utter adoration never wavered in their 60 years together.

After dating for two years, with deployment looming, Jan and Morrie wed at her parents’ house with a host of friends and family attending. Two weeks later, Morrie shipped out. Their first year of marriage was spent corresponding by mail while Morrie was stationed in Thailand.

In 1972, they welcomed their first child, Jennifer, into the world, and Jan cherished her new role as Mom. Amy came along a few years later, and their family was complete. Amy and Jennifer would be the first to say that they had to learn to share her because Jan picked up many more children along the way. She always had enough room in her heart to make one more person feel like part of the family. This was true after the grandkids (Jake, Spencer, Marlyanna, Ivy, and Boeden) were born, too. Cousins and friends who weren’t technically her grandchildren joined in calling her Grandma Jan and feeling her love.

In the early 2000s, Morrie and Jan started traveling back and forth to Russia, Latvia, and Kazakhstan, giving the itinerant ministers of their faith a place to stay. During those trips, Jan often helped teach English and began studying Russian. A servant of Christ from childhood, Jan loved furthering the gospel in her own way: by providing a welcoming home and delicious food.

Between their extensive travels, Jan enjoyed camping in the beautiful nearby mountains and following Morrie on local fishing excursions, book and lawn chair in hand. Cross-country skiing was one of Jan and Morrie’s favorite pastimes. They could be counted on to be headed up Grand Mesa at least once a week, skiing from about the first snowfall until the snow conditions barely accommodated a great ski.

In 2019, Jan was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and her journey with cancer began. Of course, being who she was, she picked up a new family in the nurses and staff at the Delta Health oncology unit. They helped give her eight more years to enjoy her family and friends and to meet her great-grandchildren, Mateo and Emmy Sue.

Jan was preceded in death by her parents, Ken and Marlys, and her brother-in-law, Joe Finnell.

Jan leaves behind her loving husband, Morrie; daughters Jennifer (Tad) McLeland and Amy (Larry) Raschein; sisters Elaine (Rich) Davis and Jeanine Finnell; grandchildren Jacob (Sam) Willhoite, Spencer Willhoite, Marlyanna (Alex) Zheng, Ivy (Jonathan) Gonzalez, and Boeden McLeland; great-grandchildren Mateo and Emmy Sue Gonzalez; and many nieces and nephews dear to her heart. While there is a hole in our hearts where she should be, our hearts are bigger and fuller because of Jan.

A private memorial service will be planned at a later date. Please consider making donations to the Delta Health oncology unit or Hospice to honor her legacy of love.