Janis Beverly Schmutzer

Janis Beverly (Cook) Schmutzer was the beloved only child of Joseph B. and Lois G. Cook of Whittier, California. Born at the old Burkett home in Whittier, she grew up attending West Whittier Elementary, Jonathan Bailey Jr. High, and Whittier High (’55), and earned her B.A. in Biology from Whittier College (’59). She later received her primary teaching credential and taught in Blythe, California.

Janis met Kenneth Schmutzer at Whittier College; she was a Palmer and he a Franklin. Their story began at a New Year’s Eve party. They married on a Thanksgiving evening on November 26, 1959, and started married life in Blythe, where they welcomed their two children: Dale Allen Schmutzer of Menifee, CA, and Lynn Ellen (Schmutzer) Kelley of La Habra Heights, CA. In 1968, they moved to Nuevo, California, where they raised their family and made their home for the rest of their lives together.

To most, she was simply “Jan”—someone who found joy in the everyday: making a warm home, caring for her children, tending her yard and garden, and lovingly looking after a menagerie of animals. She was active in several bowling leagues, volunteered at the local hospital, babysat the neighbor’s children, and never missed a sporting event for her own children.

After 44 years of marriage, Kenneth passed away in 2003. In the years that followed, Jan built a full and busy life in Brea, California, where she spent 23 years and found a true sense of community at Lake Park Brea. She jumped into the fun—joining the Red Hat Society, gathering with several lunch bunch groups, and saying “yes” to new adventures. Jan also loved to travel, especially on cruises to different parts of the world, but she was happiest exploring the United States, and Sequoia National Park was her favorite place to visit. Always quick to lend a helping hand, she also loved a little friendly competition and was nearly always up for a round of canasta, dominoes, or tile rummy. And for many years, she kept her bowling shoes handy as part of a league at La Habra Bowl.

Faith was an important part of Jan’s life. She attended East Whittier Friends Church and later Friends Community Church in Brea, where she took part in several women’s Bible studies. Jan loved the Lord Jesus as her Savior, and while she wasn’t one to speak often about her faith, those who knew her saw it in the way she lived—steady, kind, and full of love for others.