Janalie Sue (Smith) Robeson joined her husband, Maurice, in heaven on November 16, 2021. Janalie was born on January 29, 1942, to Belva Elaine (Roll) Smith and Jean B. Smith. She is survived by her two daughters, Miriam (David Pickens) and Michele (David Howard) and three grandchildren, Samantha, Benjamin, and Caitlin. She is also survived by her sister Arlene Pifer (Larry) and her family, and her two brothers-in-law and their families, Lloyd Robeson (Saundra) and Carl Robeson (Dottye).
Janalie graduated Salutatorian from Flora High School in 1960, where she met her future husband Maurice when the school consolidated with Deer Creek Township school. She carried on a long-distance romance with Maurice while attending Ball State University, where she graduated with dual-bachelor’s degree in teaching and theater. Maurice and Janalie were married on March 17, 1963, at Flora First Christian Church, where she grew up and retained her membership for her entire life.
Janalie supported Maurice as a farm wife, raised two daughters, and followed the traditional pathways of a farm wife, including keeping a large garden and preserving vegetables for the winter months.
Janalie was a second-generation member of Psi Ota Xi and was followed in those footsteps by daughter Miriam and granddaughter Samantha. Janalie was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Throughout her life, Janalie enjoyed theater, starting with roles in Flora High School plays, continuing with a theater degree at Ball State, participating in community theater in Flora in the early 1970’s and serving as an assistant director for Carroll Junior-Senior High School theater productions in the late 1990’s. She always had a flair for the dramatic, and the creativity and quick wit to converse in character when the situation called for it, which is how she won the Husband Calling Contest at the Carroll County Fair in the early 1980s.
Janalie was an active member in Flora First Christian Church, where throughout her adult life she served in the Christian Women’s Fellowship, sang in the choir, taught adult Sunday School for more than 30 years, served on the Evangelism Committee, and served as an elder. She sang in the community Easter Choir for many years.
Janalie always enjoyed art and in her middle years took up a paintbrush and started painting acrylic landscapes. Over the course of her life, she painted more than 75 canvases. Janalie regularly gave the paintings away as wedding gifts, adding a personal touch to each to reflect the personality of the recipient. When her grandchildren entered in her life, she added portraiture to her portfolio, and painted several portraits of her young grandchildren. She won a ribbon in the open class show at the Carroll County Fair for one of her early still life paintings, and one of her last paintings was a portrait of Charles Carroll, the namesake of Carroll County, which is on display in the Carroll County Courthouse.
Janalie loved her family and her Lord, and in her later years, enjoyed reminiscing on her life with both.
Visitation will be held, Wednesday, November 24, 2021 from 1pm to 3 pm at Flora First Christian Church, 8 E. South St., Flora. Pastor Benjamin Lantzer will officiate. Service will be held at 3 pm on Wednesday at the church. Burial will follow at Maple Lawn Cemetery. Stout & Son Funeral Home, Neptune Chapel in Burlington is assisting with the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Flora First Christian Church. Messages of condolence may be left at www.stoutandson.com.
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