Janice Ruth Marshall

Janice was born on October 7, 1939, to Foster and Marjorie Rundle in Clay Center, Kansas. Along with her brother, Roger, Janice grew up in Clay Center and enjoyed taking lunch to her father on the family farm he managed, visiting her grandparents and cousins, learning to sew from her grandmother, playing clarinet in her school band, and participating in 4H. Along with her family, she attended Clay Center Methodist Church every Sunday and became a district officer in the Conference Methodist Youth Fellowship.

In high school, Janice felt a call to become a minister’s wife and decided to attend Kansas Wesleyan University, where she pursued a degree in elementary education, with minors in home economics and psychology. Little did she know that she’d already met her minister. In fact, she had known him all her life. Bruce Marshall was a year older than her, and they had grown up going to church together, attended high school together, and both went to Kansas Wesleyan, but it wasn’t until the summer after her freshman year of college that Bruce asked Janice out on a date.

Once Bruce and Janice began dating, it didn’t take them long to know they wanted to get married. Bruce sold his baritone to buy Janice a diamond ring, and they became engaged on February 13, 1959. They married later that year on August 30. Together, they had three children, David, Stephen, and Becky, and formed a strong ministry team as they served the United Methodist Church for 39 years in ten different churches. In everything, Janice was Bruce’s partner, getting involved in Methodist women’s groups, teaching Sunday school, and serving as an excellent homemaker and mother for their children.

Janice and Bruce retired from ministry in 1998 and moved to Olathe, Kansas to live near their daughter Becky and her family. Janice was a dedicated grandmother and loved playing games with her grandchildren, reading aloud to them for hours, hosting them for sleepovers, attending as many of their games and performances as possible, and praying for all of them daily. She was a talented seamstress and, in addition to teaching her granddaughters to sew, she made draperies and other soft furnishings for interior design stores in both Hutchinson and Wichita, did alterations for friends and family, joined a quilting circle at her local church, and sewed dresses, school bags, and more for women and children in need through the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Before Bruce passed away in 2021, he and Janice went on several trips together, including two of Janice’s dream trips—one to Washington D.C. for the National Cherry Blossom Festival and one to California for the Rose Bowl Parade. In her later years, Janice enjoyed attending the women’s circle at her church, watching the flowers bloom in her garden, and spending time with her great-grandchildren. She also read widely, completing the highest level of requirements for the United Methodist Women’s reading program every year.

Janice was preceded in death by her parents, Foster and Marjorie Rundle, and her husband, Bruce Marshall. She is survived by her brother, Roger Rundle; her children, David (Brenda) Marshall, Stephen (DeAnna) Marshall, and Becky (Jon) Burrell; her grandchildren Chris (Ginger) Marshall, Ruthie Burrell, Jamie (Matt) Meier, Joel Burrell, Josh (Haley) Marshall, Nathan (Heather) Marshall, Isaac Burrell, and Lydia Burrell; and her great-grandchildren Audrey Marshall, Sienna Marshall, Jessie Meier, Josiah Marshall, Jett Marshall, Clay Marshall, and Tanner Meier; as well as numerous cousins and friends.

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. – Psalm 34:3

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 12:00 PM until the time of service at the Neill-Schwensen-Rook Funeral Home in Clay Center.

Funeral services for Janice will be held at 1:00 PM, June 3 at the funeral home with a committal service directly following at the Greenwood Cemetery, Clay Center.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Stilwell United Methodist Church in Stilwell, Kansas on July 11, 2026, at 1:00 PM.

The family requests that any memorial donations be made to Stilwell United Methodist Church and left in care of the funeral home, or sent directly to 19335 Metcalf Ave, Stilwell, Kansas 66085.