Janice Joanne 'Heisler' Turnquist

Janice (Heisler) Turnquist, age 79, passed away unexpectedly November 18, 2015, at the Spencer Hospital. Born Janice Joanne Larson on October. 15, 1936, in Ruthven, Iowa, to Edward and Victorean (Steidl) Larson, she grew up in Ruthven surrounded by a huge extended family and a lot of friends. After graduating from Ruthven Consolidated School in 1954, she moved to Spencer and worked as a telephone operator for Northwestern Bell. She married Jerald Heisler on February 2, 1958, in Ruthven, and they spent 42 happy years together. They made their home in Spencer where she continued her work at Northwestern Bell until 1962, when she retired to stay home and raise their family. On October. 22, 2005, she married the second love of her life, Charles Turnquist, at the First Baptist Church in Spencer. They lived in Spencer but spent much of their time traveling. Janice was a full-time mom and homemaker who kept an incredibly tidy house. She couldn't cook all that well, but she could bake a mean chocolate sheet cake. A breast cancer survivor for more than 35 years, she never played victim to the intruder that was cancer, always more concerned with the well-being of those she loved. In addition to reading and spending time with her family, she enjoyed playing the piano and dancing any chance she had. Janice was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Jerald Heisler in 2000; and her oldest grandson, Sky Erickson in 1997. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Charles of Spencer; her three daughters: Joni Ketter of St. Paul, MN; Jackie King and her husband, Mark of Urbandale, IA; and Julie Nelson and her husband, David of Sioux City, IA; five grandchildren; one great-grandson; other relatives and many friends.

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