Janice Ragan

Janice, “Jan”, Ragan peacefully went home to be with her Lord and Savior on September 19th, 2023. Jan is now dancing in heaven with her beloved husband, Hank.
Janice Louise Scharton was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 13th, 1939 to Leroy Scharton and Ruth (Lofink) Scharton. Jan grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska where she would graduate from Lincoln High in 1957. Following graduation, Jan would go on to serve her country in the United States Army for 2 years as a dental technician.
Jan met her husband of 57 years, Hamilton Ragan (“Hank”), in Lincoln, Nebraska and she married her lifelong mate on December 18th, 1959. Jan and Hank welcomed 2 children into their world: Angela Dawn in 1961 and Shawn Michael in 1964.
In her life, Jan held many hats for a career including administrative assistant for Hy-Gain and human resources specialist for Square-D until her family relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1976. At that time, Jan would work for 2 insurance offices as an administrative assistant, where she would ultimately retire from American Family Insurance in 2004 after 19 years.
Jan and Hank enjoyed traveling the United States and seeing the beautiful areas of the country. Many happy memories were centered around family activities such as camping at Grandpa’s Woods, fishing at Branched Oak, picnicking, sledding at Pioneer’s Park, feeding the ducks, campfires, playing Parcheesi on rainy days, and much more. These activities continued over the decades with the addition of grandchildren and great grandchildren. The fun outdoor memories expanded to include beautiful locations throughout Wyoming and Colorado. The most frequented vacation spot was Thermopolis, Wyoming where she enjoyed spending hours in the hot springs pools. Jan was also able to travel to a variety of spots with her family, to include Las Vegas, California, Boston, Branson, North Carolina, New Orleans, and more. Jan also enjoyed a trip to Ireland with her dear friend, Jan (“Sam”) Nelson.
Jan also enjoyed going to craft fairs with Hank around Colorado, one of her most favorite being Silver Dollar City in Branson, where they would sell Hank’s custom-made camel back trunks.
Jan attended Livermore Community Church for decades, this is where she grew to have an exceptional relationship with her Lord. She was also a member of the board and participated in numerous groups/activities with the church. One of her most cherished events with the church was taking her grandchildren to the Old-Fashioned Sundays.
In the spring of 2019 Jan moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming to be closer to her family.
Jan is survived by her children, Angela Ragan-Specht (Brent Kluger), Shawn Ragan (Mary) and David Beams. She is also survived by 7 grandchildren Melissa Kelly (Eddie), Rebecca Thompson (Matt), Jessica Weir (David), Chad Specht (Melissa), Gaylen Ragan, Michael Louser (Karen), and Sean Louser; 7 great grandchildren Cody and Cheyann Weir, Harper and Hunter Kelly, Ophelia and Maddox Specht, and Malachai Louser. She is also survived by Michael Specht (Ann) who was considered a son. Also, survived by brother, Jerry (Maki) Scharton; and her sister Shirley (Jerry) Morrison.
Jan was preceded in death by her husband, Hank; mother, Ruth; and father, Leroy, Scharton.