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Janis Rich
JANIS K. RICH
Cedar Rapids
Janis K. Rich, 81, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., formerly of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date.
Survivors include her husband, James N. Rich; children, Lori Wheeler (Craig), Brian Griffiths (Kristin), Shawn Sullivan (Lisa), Deb Hartung (Mark), Karen Leichsenring (Bill) and Steve Rich (Cindy); 13 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and brothers, Denny Kesterson of Arizona and Steven Kesterson (Susan) of Mead, Wash.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Steven and Lois Kesterson; her husband, Tom Griffiths; and daughter, Lisa Sullivan.
Janis was born Nov. 22, 1938, in Des Moines, Iowa. She married Tom Griffiths and they raised three children. Janis loved animals and raised German Shepherds and Great Danes. She worked as a secretary after Tom's death. She later met James Rich and they were married in Cedar Rapids in 1980.
In 1991, they moved to Florida and lived there until her death. They had a blended family full of love for 40 years. Janis adored all her pets, especially her cats. She was proud of her large family and long will be remembered for her generous heart, warm smile and her famous meatball sandwiches.
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