Janis Ann Hartung Pilcher, age 60 years young of Portland, Oregon, died on Sunday, November 24, 2013, after 19 days at Legacy Hopewell Hospice House. She passed peacefully in her sleep with her daughters at her side.

She was born to the late Walter Hartung and Dorothy Arens Hartung on October 24, 1953, in Kansas City, Missouri. Janis attended St. Joseph's Catholic Grade School and High School of Shawnee, Kansas. She played piano from a young age and also played the accordion in polkas with her father who played the banjo. She attended Emporia State University of Emporia, Kansas, where she graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music Education and then pursued a Masters in Music Education.

Janis married Paul Raymond Pilcher and they lived in Topeka where they had their 2 daughters, Paula and Laura. After their divorce, in 1981, she played as an organist for Most Pure Heart Catholic Church and ran a daycare out of her home. In 1984 she moved to Shawnee, Kansas, where she was the organist, adult and children choir director for St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Shawnee, Kansas, for over 10 years. She was also a piano teacher and held many piano recitals and performance events for her students.

Janis organized a road trip for the youths of several dioceses to see Pope John Paul II in Denver, Colorado, at the 8th World Youth Day in 1993. Janis was an organist/accompanist for Hillcrest Christian Church in Overland Park, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Leawood, and Assistant to the VP of Marketing at LabOne in Lenexa. At this time she wrote the "Divine Mercy Chaplet", still in use at St. Joseph's Church today. It was later included on her album of music entitled, "His Mercy Endures Forever" where she wrote, directed, recorded, and performed her own music with musicians from her choir. She also wrote music for the Sister Servants of Mary in Kansas City. She was the accompanist for auditions, rehearsals, and performances at Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park starting when it first originated until her move to South Carolina in 2004. There she was the Music Director at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Bluffton, South Carolina, until 2008 when, due to health complications, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to her daughter Paula. Shortly thereafter, Janis became a member of the congregation at St. John Fisher Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon.

She was strong in her Catholic faith. Her loving spirit and creativity, along with her passion for music, friendships, and family, will forever be remembered by all those fortunate to have been touched by her.

Janis is survived by her daughters, Paula Pilcher, 36, Naturopathic Doctor of Portland, Oregon, and Laura Pilcher, 34, MBA Business Owner of Merriam, Kansas; brother Darryl (Ruth) Hartung of Marshall Missouri, brother Dale (Deedra) Hartung of Ballwin Missouri, sister Sharon (Don) Anderson of Newark Illinois, sister Marsha (Charles) Golladay of Lenexa Kansas. She also leaves behind numerous loving relatives and friends.

Visitation and Mass

Visitation will be 6-8pm with the Rosary from 6-6:20pm. on Friday, December 13, 2013, at Amos Family Funeral Home & Crematory, 10901 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, Kansas 66203. The funeral mass will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 14, 2013, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 11311 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kamsas. The burial will follow at the Resurrection Cemetery, 83rd Street and Quivira in Lenexa, Kansas.

Contributions

Please send flowers to Amos Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may also be made in her honor to the Sisters Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick, 800 North 18th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66102.