Janice Arleen Brown, age 81, passed away May 28, 2026 in Missoula, MT while battling a long illness.

Jan was born January 18, 1945 in Lawton, Oklahoma to Chester and Medruth Johnson. She was raised in Fletcher, OK with her big “Sis” Coleen, and attended school there as well. She had a love for horses and was a barrel-racer.

She was blessed with two sons, Gary Dale and Robert Alan. She worked at Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City for many years, and then later worked at Marcus Daly Hospital in Hamilton, Montana. She was masterful at taxidermy rugging, and there are many bears and other animal hides gracing walls around the country.

Before and after retirement she was very active in her community and special events that meant so much to her. She loved camping and going on drives and adventures. She sang in choirs and attended church, and she was particularly fond of the Cowboy Church. She was a re-enactor in the gunfighter group. She volunteered with the Celtic group, 4-H Alumni, and was a 4-H leader with Summerdale 4-H Club for many years where she taught dozens of kids leathercraft, another one of her many skills.

She absolutely adored her grandchildren, and spent as much time with them as she possibly could. She picked them up from school and made sure they got to riding lessons and music lessons or appointments. She attended all their events. She was always enjoying the things the kids were most interested in at the time, no matter what those interests were, and was a good sport beyond measure for some of the things the kids came up with.

Known as “Aunt Jannie”, “AJ”, and “Mama A” by all the nieces, nephews, neighbors, and her son’s friends, Jan was well-known for being always on-the-go. Small, but mighty, the number one thing that kept her going strong was keeping busy. She was never one to say no to anyone, and thus was always helping someone out, whether she was taking them to appointments, house-sitting, pet-sitting, taking folks to do errands, or helping out in any little way she could think up. She will be missed dearly by everyone whose life she touched.

Jan was preceded in death by her daddy Chet in 1957, and her mother Medruth in 2000. She had such a special bond with her “Sis”, and is survived by her sister Coleen (Larry) Reynolds of Hamilton, MT; as well as her son Gary (Christine) Smith of Yukon, OK; her son Rob (Jeanette) Smith of Corvallis, MT, her grandchildren Heather, Jake, Cydney, Harlie, Eden, and Briar, as well as great-grandchildren Elijah, Piper, Corbin and Beck,and she was Aunt Jannie to her nieces Robin and Pamela, and nephews Ross, Matt, and Steve and their spouses, and many great and great-great nieces and nephews as well.

A service will be held at Summerdale Park on Quast Lane in Corvallis, MT at a later time.