Martha Jane (Janie) Heywood Dressler Van Rheen, 86, longtime Kingman resident, died Dec. 19, 2017 at Olathe.
She was born May 2, 1931 in Neodesha, Kan., the daughter of Austin T. (Jack) and Martha Hazel Calvert Heywood. Her parents preceded her in death. She also was preceded in death by an infant brother; a daughter-in-law, Carol Dressler; her first husband, John M. (Jack) Dressler; and her second husband, Samuel J. Van Rheen.
Janie had many lifelong loves, most of which were first nurtured in childhood. She loved Girl Scouting, first as a member, then as a longtime troop leader in Kingman, and finally as a National Operational Volunteer. She also discovered a love of music at a young age, learning to play the violin, the piano and the organ. She became the organist at the First Presbyterian Church in Kingman in 1963, a role that was interrupted only by the years she lived in Texas. Countless Kingman students relied on her to accompany their musical solos over the years, which were frequently rehearsed at Janie's home.
She was a 1949 graduate of Neodesha High School and a 1953 graduate of the University of Kansas, earning a degree in business. She joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority and made many lifelong friends there. She also was active on campus in Jay Janes, a women's pep club; KU Symphony; Beta Gamma Sigma, a business school honor society, and Mortar Board senior honorary. She consistently made the honor roll. She was a life member of the KU Alumni Association and loved her Jayhawks. It was at KU that she met Jack Dressler. They were married June 30, 1953 in Kingman. Jack died on June 21, 1964.
Janie may be best remembered locally as the longtime owner of "Calvert's," part of the department store chain started by her grandfather, C. R. Calvert. Her parents moved to Kingman in 1950 to run the store and Jack worked alongside them in the business. Janie began working after Jack's death, running the business on her own in the 1970s and continuing to do so until she closed the store in 1990.
She married Sam Van Rheen, a former Neodesha classmate, in September 1989. They lived in Spring, Texas, where she worked at Northwoods Presbyterian Church. Sam died April 20, 2006. Janie moved back to Kingman in 2008, where she once again was active in the community, serving on the boards of Lions club, the KAMI Food Bank, First Presbyterian Church and the Wheatlands Health Care Center.
Janie's faith and inner strength helped her endure the deaths of her parents and both of her husbands. That faith and strength never wavered, even after she suffered a severe stroke in 2016 that left her disabled. She still had a smile and a sense of humor.
She is survived by son, John M. (Mac) Dressler Jr. (Diane), Liberty, Mo.; daughters, Nancy J. Dressler Borst, Goddard, Kan., and Susan Dressler Martin (George), Olathe, Kan.; stepdaughters, Julie McGowan, Connie Gore, Becky Hanlon, Mary Graeber, Barbara Van Rheen; stepsons, Dan Van Rheen and Robert Van Rheen; 20 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6 at First Presbyterian Church, Kingman. Inurnment will follow at Walnut Hill Cemetery, Kingman. In the case of an ice storm or severe winter weather, the service will be postponed until Jan. 13 at the same time and location.
Family visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5 at Livingston Funeral Home, Kingman. Memorials have been established with the KAMI Food Bank in Kingman and the KU Alumni Association. Penwell-Gabel, Olathe, and Livingston Funeral Home, Kingman, are in charge of arrangements.