Janice Matlock

Janice Matlock, 88, of Pittsburg, Kansas, passed away peacefully on February 16, 2025, with family at her side. She will be remembered as a pioneer, a friend who brought clarity to difficult situations, and a foundational influence in the lives of her children and grandchildren.

She was born on June 26, 1936, at March Field (now March Air Force Base) in Riverside County, California, to Samuel L. Matlock and Mildred Zoe Harris. She was the youngest of three children (Richard and Beverly) and growing up in a military family, she had many adventures — experiencing the jungles of Panama, playing in orange groves in California, and digging tunnels through the snow in Colorado. While her father, a great love and support in her young life, was missing in action during World War II, she remembers planting a victory garden and worrying about the telegrams that arrived on her neighbors’ doorsteps. He returned after 13 months, and after a few more years in the military, he retired and bought property in New Mexico, where Janice and her siblings helped their parents garden, raise chickens, turkeys, and rabbits, and enjoyed picnics and rides in the mountains. She moved 13 times in her youth, so she learned to befriend people from all corners of society, a talent that served her well throughout her life.

At a dance put on by the United Service Organization, Janice met Gordon Westover, and they married in 1954. Together they had four children, Sam, Lelia, Mark, and Andrea. During their courtship, Gordon introduced Janice to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which she had been searching for ever since a friend invited her to attend primary activities as a child. She was baptized on December 13, 1953, and through the many challenges she faced in life, she held fast to her testimony in Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal families.

Through steady determination and great personal sacrifice, she obtained her Ph.D. in clinical psychology in California, at a time when it was uncommon and unpopular for women to obtain advanced degrees. During her career she started a private practice and worked for a hospital in Central California, and for LDS Family Services in Illinois. She enjoyed working with all types of people and families in all kinds of circumstances, and was deeply trusted by her patients.

In 2001, she accepted a call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve a humanitarian mission in Mongolia. Were it an option, she would have lived there for the rest of her life. She found deep meaning while working in the orphanage in Ulaanbaatar, where she taught children and young adults life skills and simple work, like tying quilts, so they could one day support themselves. She was loved by the people she served and was sent home with recognition from the police department in gratitude for her service. Upon returning home to California she started a foundation that sent school materials, medical supplies, shoes, and winter clothes to the orphanage. Though the director of the orphanage insisted she simply donate the money instead of physical items, she refused and went to great lengths to ensure the supplies went directly to the youth.

Janice always held a deep reverence for family history work. In 1944, when she was just eight years old, she attended her father’s family reunion in North Carolina, and spent her time asking her aunts, uncles, and older cousins about their life stories. She spent much of her adult life connecting her family tree, and would occasionally take road trips with her children and grandchildren to learn more about the people she was researching. After returning from her mission, she moved from California to Nauvoo, Illinois, where she continued to avidly research her family tree. But more important to her than the thousands of people she identified were the quiet moments where she shared her love for family history work with her children, grandchildren, and friends. She inspired many to begin their own research as she worked at the Family Search Center and temple in Nauvoo.

Janice is preceded in death by two granddaughters and one great-grandson. She is survived by her children, Sam (Susan) Westover of Franklin, Tennessee; Lelia (Joe) Logan of Saratoga Springs, Utah; Mark (Jeannie) Westover of Santa Maria, California; and Andrea (Matthew) Montague of Pittsburg, Kansas. She is also survived by 24 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson.

She was interred at the Spanish Fork Cemetery following a private family service, where her granddaughters served as pallbearers.

To offer condolences, please visit www.springcreekmortuary.com.