Janice Thoreson
For Janice Thoreson, life is what you make it. According to her husband, that's how she's always lived her life and how she always will. Janice grew up in Barnesville with two brothers and two sisters. After marrying Tom, they stayed in the area living in Moorhead, Detroit Lakes and Frazee raising two sons.
Life is what you make it
While Tom was teaching school, Janice was working as a carpenter. Outfitted with her toolbelt, Janice had a knack for building and learned as much as she could while she worked for Dynamic Homes. As you might imagine, over the years, she endured some strange looks and questioning from her male colleagues - until they got to know her anyway. Eventually they learned to respect her, appreciated her talent and trusted her ideas and judgment.
Janice says she believes
there's always something you can do for someone else.
Janice also spent many years raising vegetables, canning and cooking for her growing boys. In her free time, she played softball until she was 39 years old.
"Sports are good for a person, they teach you some really important life lessons," says Janice.
Another of Janice's lessons for a good life comes from helping others. Ever ready to lend a hand to family and friends, Janice says she believes there's always something you can do for someone else. But don't even think you're going to pay her for her help, she'd rather just share a cup of coffee with you.
"The smile on someone's face after you've helped them with a problem, that's worth a whole lot to me," Janice says, smiling herself.
When Janice's older son was diagnosed with cancer, Janice's family banded together to help pull him through the tough treatments. Now, years later, Janice is proud to say he's healthy and she thinks because of everything he and the whole family learned during the process, they look at things a lot differently and are better people for it.
Janice and her cat Mort have been at Bethany for three years. Tom comes to visit often, entertaining her and her friends with his piano and organ music. Janice also enjoys playing solitaire on her computer, watching movies and she's working on building a shadow box with her baby ring, wedding ring, parent's rings and grandmother's ring. Even now, Janice doesn't get to all the things on her to do list, but that's what happens when you're busy getting everything life has to offer.