EDMOND — Virginia Kay Janda, 74, of Edmond, Okla., passed away quietly in her home on May 21, 2012. She was born November 29, 1937 in DeQueen, Ark. to James Benjamin and Mildred Evora Parker. She grew up in Arkansas before moving to Houston and graduated from San Jacinto High School. She married Robert Lawrence Janda on May 4, 1956.
She and her husband Bob built hot-rods, ran their own speed shop, attended and competed in a wide array of motorcycle, midget, sprint car, and drag races and later developed a love of flying that took them on trips throughout the Southwest. She worked as an administrative assistant in several insurance industry positions.
Kay devoted herself to her children as a homemaker, and to a life of quiet faith. She was active in First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, then later with Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church where she served on the Parish Council, the Stewardship Board, as a communion minister, as a lector commentator, and in the church women’s society. Her work eventually earned her recognition as a Woman of Achievement within the Oklahoma City Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women in 2002.
Though she eventually returned to the workforce with H&R Block and with Saint John’s, Kay helped Edmond Public School students learn to read, and volunteered as a driver with Meals on Wheels, as a snuggler at Mercy Hospital and as a member of the PTA.
Although challenged by a life full of medical problems, she retained her faith and resilient optimism. She will be remembered by her family, friends and those whose lives the touched in Edmond during the past 40 years.
She is survived by her sister Una Gausepohl, her sister Mary Brock and husband Mickey; her brother James Parker; her son Lance Janda, his wife Sarah, and their daughter Sydney; and by her daughter Elaine Janda and her son Kolo.
Memorial Services will be 2 p.m. Thursday, May 24, 2012 at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church , Ninth and Boulevard, in Edmond. A reception will immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Virginia Kay and Robert L. Janda Scholarship fund, c/o Cameron University Foundation, 2800 West Gore Boulevard, Lawton, OK 73505. Services are under the direction of the Matthews Funeral Home, Edmond, OK.
