After a long and valiant struggle – and with her beloved family by her side – Janet Rae Kroes of Baldwinsville died peacefully in the early evening hours of May 17, 2011, at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse.

A devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Janet was born July 30, 1942, in Augusta, Kan., the daughter of the late Orville and Maxine Swearingen. She grew up in Augusta, graduating from Augusta High School in 1960 and El Dorado (Kansas) Junior College in 1962, where she studied business.

She met her future husband, Joe Kroes, in 1965 while he was serving in the Air Force and was stationed in Wichita, Kan. Joe and Janet were married on April 30, 1966, before he went to Vietnam.
They moved to the Baldwinsville area in 1967, and Janet became a secretary at the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse. She worked there until their first child was born.

From then on, Janet was the bookkeeper and accountant for the family business. But her primary focus in life was the role of wife and mother and, in recent years, a grandmother who found great joy in spending time with her grandsons, Owen and Aidan, especially playing board games or taking them to the zoo.

She volunteered at her children's school, McNamara Elementary in Baldwinsville, and she worked tirelessly for Campfire Girls of Central New York, running the annual candy sale in Onondaga County for many years.

Janet enjoyed all kinds of crafting, and she especially loved baking cakes and cookies. She was a skilled creator of ceramic pieces and floral arrangements. She loved to travel, play games and solve all sorts of puzzles.

Christmas was her favorite time of year, and she always enjoyed decorating her home festively for the holidays. Every Christmas season, starting many weeks beforehand, she baked hundreds of cookies to share with family and friends, and everyone looked forward to her famous peanut brittle.

Throughout her long illness, Janet's determination was steadfast, her faith was unwavering and her spirit was hopeful.

She is survived by Joe, her husband of 45 years; daughter and son-in-law, Joanne Kroes Randell and Simon Randell of Chichester, England; son, Dr. James Kroes of Providence, R.I.; grandsons, Owen and Aidan Randell of Chichester; two brothers, Harold Swearingen of Augusta, Kan. and Jim Swearingen of Rose Hill, Kan.; several lifelong friends in Kansas and New York; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Janet's family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at St. Joseph's, the staff at Syracuse Home in Baldwinsville, and the Rev. Gordon Knapp and the Rev. Voigt Archer from Baldwinsville First United Methodist Church. They would like to offer special thanks to Lisa Morrow who visited Janet often during her many hospital and nursing home stays.

Memorial services are 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11 , 2011, at First United Methodist Church, 17 W. Genesee St., Baldwinsville, and 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at Dunsford Funeral Home, 201 E. Fifth Ave., Augusta, Kan. Burial will be Elmwood Cemetery in Augusta. There are no calling hours.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 17 W. Genesee St., Baldwinsville, NY 13027, or St. Joseph's Hospital Palliative Care, 301 Prospect Ave., Syracuse, NY 13203.