Janet Lee Crenshaw

Janet Lee Crenshaw, 81, passed away on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the Hover Senior Living Community in Longmont, Colorado. Jan was born on May 23, 1944, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Alloysious Cabre and Margaret Louise (Jacobs) Cunningham. A lover of the outdoors, she never strayed far from the Rocky Mountains and lived in each of the four states along the eastern slope of the Continental Divide.She grew up in Montana, graduating from Billings West High School and later studying business at Eastern Montana College. She explored Montana with her first husband and two children, riding motorcycles along forested highways with snowcapped mountains peeking above the trees. Photos from thoseyears often featured lakes, lava lamps, and games of Twister. But there were also hardships and challenges. After her first marriage ended, Jan raised twoyoung children as a single mother, learning firsthand about resilience, sacrifice, and perseverance. She worked two jobs, put herself through bookkeeping school, and still found time to attend her kids’ baseball games—often serving as the coolest “Team Mom” around, driving the team to A&W for root beer floats in her 1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible. That car, along with her love of road trips and CB radios, earned her the CB handle “Delta Queen.” She married William “Bill” Allan Crenshaw on June 14, 1978, in Sheridan, Wyoming. As family lore tells it, a drive up Red Grade with an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen sealed the deal.When she and Bill welcomed a third child, the two of them began what she often described as living their best life together. Jan loved adventure. Over time, the roller skates, motorcycles, and convertibles gave way to boats, snowmobiles, horses, and four-wheelers. She loved camping, fishing, and traveling, including memorable trips to Australia and Cornwall, England, with her daughter in later years. Music was another of Jan’s passions. She loved Charlie Rich, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson,Emmylou Harris and Garth Brooks, but Elvis Presley held a special place in her heart. Looking at photos of Bill as a young Navy man, it’s easy to see how his Elvis-like features first caught her eye. Jan also had a lifelong love of animals. From her first little poodle, Sammy, to her last companion, Chipper, she was a devoted dog lover. Among them all, her beagle Koko held a special place in her heart. In keeping with her wishes, she will be laid to rest with Koko’s ashesby her side. Jan was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Bill. She is survived by her sister, Donna (Kit) Lewis; her children, Tyler (Amy) Crenshaw of Denver, Colorado; Cindy (Matt Gorsuch) Vanover of Longmont, Colorado; and Rick (Christina Galvan) Vanover of Stockton, California; as well as five grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. A private family gathering will be held in Sheridan, Wyoming, with burial to take place at a laterdate at Pleasant View Cemetery in Ballantine, Montana. Because dogs were always such an important part of Jan’s life, memorial donations in her namemay be made to the Sheridan City Animal Shelter, 84 E. Ridge Road, Sheridan, WY 82801, 307-674-7694. Please feel free to leave condolences and memories on Janet's obituary page for the family.

Her family finds comfort imagining her once again with the ragtop down, the music playing, and an open road stretching out ahead.