Janene Sue Ryan
December 23, 1935 - January 3, 2019
Obituary
Janene Sue (Higginbotham) Ryan was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa on December 23, 1935 to Elton Myrle Higginbotham and Martha Leola (Goldin) Higginbotham. She passed away at home on January 3, 2019 following a long illness.
The oldest of four children, Janene grew up moving between Iowa, New York, Florida, Texas and Oregon. She excelled at school, attending and participating as a cheerleader at Mount Morris High School in Mount Morris, New York, before moving with her family to Washington State, where she graduated from Cleveland High School in 1953 in Seattle, Wash.
She enjoyed a long career as secretary and a volunteer firefighter at Fire District 43 in Maple Valley, Wash., and later as a secretary at Eagle Trucking. She retired to SeaTac, Wash. where she spent time with her large family, volunteered at the non-profit Friend To Friend, and learned to use software to make unique gifts and greeting cards. She was an accomplished pianist, skilled painter, and textile artist working in crochet. She regularly attended Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines. She also enjoyed golf and caring for very small dogs.
Her later years she lived at the Lodge at Eagle Ridge in Renton, Wash., where she enjoyed music, the friendship of her neighbors, and where the loving care
She is survived by her two children, Timothy Ryan (wife Cindi) and Eileen (Ryan) Van Bronkhorst (husband Paul); and her four grandchildren: Joshua Ryan (wife Omega), Jessie Carrol (husband Mike), Stevie Van Bronkhorst (husband Beau), Alex Van Bronkhorst (partner Chance); and three great-grandsons: Ethan, Kade, and Reed.
She is also survived by her sister Judy Anson, brother Ron Higginbotham, 6 nieces and nephews, 19 great-nieces and -nephews, and 7 great-great-nieces and -nephews.
Also surviving are her beloved step-children: Steve O’Meara, Judy Riche, Pamela Hodsen, step-daughter-in-law Cathy Ingram, and 14 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, sister Sandy Williams (husband Owen), nephew Mark Williams, and son Dave Ingram.
Donations in her memory can be made to the World Hunger Project and Lutheran World Relief.
