April 14, 1941 – March 7, 2023

Our beautiful and precious mother, Janice Carol Ruff, age 81, of Overland Park, KS, went to be with her Lord on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, surrounded by family. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  

She was born on April 14th, 1941, in Kingsville, Missouri to the late Attie Earl and Georgia Anna Lambeth. She is survived by her loving husband of 21 years, E.J. Ruff; her five children, Cindy (and Steve) of Olathe, KS; Jennifer (and Doug) of Colorado Springs, CO; Brad (and Debbie) of Guyton, GA; Kimberly (and Tom) of Grand Rapids, MI; Jason (and Jodie) of Cumming, GA; and one stepdaughter, Kelly of Noel, MO. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, her sister Norma Banks of Lee’s Summit, MO, and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her sister Wanda Deshazer, brother Archie Lambeth, brother Johnny Lambeth, and sister Patricia Russell.  

She loved her family and loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all her heart. She never passed up an opportunity to let us know how much we were loved and how proud she was of us, often telling us individually, “You’re my favorite.” Our mother will be remembered for her faith in her Lord, her kindness and heart of gold, her never-ending words of encouragement and positivity, her hilarious sense of humor, her intelligence, her cross-stitch masterpieces that each of us have been blessed with, her many Facebook comments and postings, her love of garage sales, and her BEAUTIFUL singing voice. Before her children were born, she was on a path to become a country music star-having been offered a singing contract even before Brenda Lee-but instead marrying at a young age and becoming a mother of five. She didn’t speak of this too often, but when she did she said that she never regretted this decision because she wouldn’t have brought us into the world, and that we were more precious to her than any amount of fame and fortune. She did get to meet many famous country western stars, like George Jones, Tex Ritter, and Loretta Lynn, to name a few.  

Until her health condition made it impossible, our mother was a faithful member of Calvary Baptist Church of Lenexa.  

There will be a Celebration of Life service for our mother on April 29, 2023 at 3:00 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church of Lenexa, 8130 Lackman Rd., Lenexa, KS. In lieu of flowers, a contribution to Calvary Baptist Church of Lenexa New Building Fund or Legacy Fund would be appreciated.  

Mother, you will always be in our hearts and we will never forget you. Yours is another beautiful voice joining the Angels in song and praise. We love you so much. Rest in peace.