Janet Lynn Crawford went home to be with the Lord on July 20, 2026 at F.W. Huston Hospital in Winchester, KS. Jan was born, the first born of a set of twins, April 20, 1952 in Kansas City, Missouri to Walter and Elvina (Turnbull) Scherer. She graduated from Rosedale High School in Kansas City, KS and got her teaching degree at Bethel College in Newton KS. Continuing her education, she received her bachelor's degree at Central Christian College in McPherson, KS and Master's Degree in Home Economics from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA.
Jan spent most of her teaching career with the Kansas State School for the Blind. There she taught low vision & blind students Family & Consumer Science, including Activities of Daily Living. Jan also served as the first Outreach Vision Teacher, traveling to communities across the state to provide consultation support services to outstate vision teachers. In retirement, Jan continued serving as an advocate for students with visual impairments & their families. She received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired in 1998. She also taught Home Economics in Valley Falls, KS and schools in Western Kansas early in her career.
Jan married James T. Crawford on December 22, 1990 in McLouth, KS. He brought to the union 2 children which Jan always treated as her own. After Jim’s lengthy health battle ended in 2022, Jan lived her best life enjoying various clubs and groups full of creative, strong, supportive women including, Kansa Prairie Quilters, Kuntry Club, Ladies of the Lake, Odd Dots and Grief Share among others. She loved sewing, playing games, watching movies and planning parties. The legacy she leaves behind is one of kindness and friendship.
She is survived by daughter, Carolyn (Mike) Lang, Perry, KS, son, J.T. (Amy) Crawford, Osage City, KS, sister, Donna Scherer, Independence, MO, three grandchildren, Claire (Corey) Thomas, Reid (fiancé Marley) Crawford and Greta Crawford , great-grandson Judah Thomas, nephew Todd (Brenda) Scherer, beloved cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, twin sister Jeannie Scherer and brother Walter Scherer.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Mercer Funeral Home in Valley Falls with burial to follow at the Valley Falls Cemetery. Jan will lie-in-state Monday, July 27, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Memorials may be given to the First Baptist Church of McLouth or the Grief Share group at the church sent in c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.
