William J. "Bill" Janner Jr.

William J. “Bill” Janner, Jr., 80, Kokomo, passed away at 9:25 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at his daughter Terry’s house, after a short battle with cancer. He was born March 1, 1941, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late William J. and Marjorie I. Janner.

Bill started work early in 8th grade setting pins for three local bowling alleys and then worked a couple of years as a soda jerk at Crescent Dairy. He was in the Kokomo High School choir for three years, studied drafting for three years and graduated in 1959 in the top 10% of his class.

He attended General Electric Apprentice school drafting and later worked seven years in the homebuilding industry doing architectural home designs for several builders and purchased Kokomo Blueprint Shop. Bill joined the Men Of Note Barbershop Group and also appeared in Kokomo Civic Theatre productions.

Bill then switched careers becoming a design engineer for Kolux Sign Company in Kokomo, was promoted to Engineering Manager, and finally Plant Manager. After nine years and the blizzard of 1978, he left town and went to work for a sign company down south where he met and married his late wife Joyce. He held many positions as V.P. of Operations.

Sixteen years later, he joined Kolux again, but it had moved to Virginia and had been purchased by Everbrite, Inc. He then worked as an engineer while he took care of his ailing wife, Joyce. She passed in 2002, and Bill returned to Kokomo after a 24 year absence and purchased his mother’s parents’ home that was bought in 1918 when his mother was six months old.

For the next 13 years, he began caring for his ailing mother (who passed in 2015) and started remodeling his home, with no help, which he finished in 2017.  Bill had 2 hobbies: remodeling and reading a tremendous variety of books on a tremendous variety of subjects.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Joyce Janner; his son, William “Billy” Janner III; his step-brother, A.J. Roberts; his step-daughters, Jill Krawzyk and Susan Adams; his grandsons, Justin Crow and Shade Eviston; and his great-granddaughter, Precious Janner.

Bill is survived by his children, Theresa (Rob) Biddle, Karla Janner, Debbie (Chris) Rahn, Kathy Tucker and  Jack Parmeter; his 19 grandchildren, Shane Crow, Madison Harrison, Josh Biddle, Brant (Sarah) Janner, Robert (Kristy) Word, Aaron (Lisa) Myers, Zachariah Janner, Nathaniel Janner, Jacob Janner, Jayden Janner, Kolton Janner, Jason (Annie) Testerman, Kayla Rahn, Casey Culberson, Nicholas Parmeter, Courtney (Bryan) Vanderlinden, Madison Parmeter, Kristen Faro and Cameron Adams; his 18 great-grandchildren, Olivia Crow, Zane Crow, Justin Crow, Jr., Trevon Mayfield - Harrison, Karlee Janner, Kaleb Janner, Braylen Word, Gavin Word, Ethan Smith, Hannah Myers, Olivia Myers, Will Testerman, Olivia Testerman, Savannah Testerman, Piper Testerman, Christopher Jaxson Testerman, Ashton Parmeter and Chloe Vanderlinden; his siblings, Wayne (Donna) Janner, Paul Janner, Mary Jo (David) Miller, Theresa (Will) Carlson, Linda Smith, and Margie Welch; and also by very special friend, Connie Loughhead.

All of his siblings, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are spread over Indiana, Texas, Alabama, Virginia, California, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee.

A Celebration of Life will be from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Phi Delta Kappa Beta Nu, 2401 Saratoga Avenue, Kokomo, Indiana 46902.  The family would like to thank Heartland Hospice staff for the care that was given to their Dad.  Hasler & Stout Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.hasler-stout.com. 

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