Janice Louise Betha

Janice Louise Nichols was born in Lamar, Colorado on New Year’s Day, 1937, from the union of Leonard and Vivian Nichols as the third of seven children. Growing up in the country Janice was a skilled fisherwoman and enjoyed getting a pole in the water every chance she got. She also enjoyed camping and loved animals. She especially enjoyed birds and cats. Sometimes she would go shopping with one of her colorful small parakeets on her shoulder.

Once when she was very young, she lured a mother skunk and her babies all the way home calling them ‘kitties’. She was that lady, without the crazy.

She graduated Sterling (KS) High School in 1954, marrying US Air Force Airman David Bertha, Jr in Clayton, New Mexico in 1955.

After marrying David, Janice began her exciting life as a dedicated Air Force wife and mother. She was fortunate to travel and have her children abroad in the United States. She had five beautiful kids.

Damon, born first in England, was followed by Kelly and Barry, both born in Oklahoma City. Then Tracy in Alamogordo, New Mexico and lastly Weyland on beautiful Okinawa Japan. Janice enjoyed the moving that was necessary with the service life and helped make it seamless.

For her career, Janice spent over 30 years in the health profession. Beginning on Okinawa caring for returning soldiers from Vietnam she worked in many crucial departments including Sr. Care, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Psychology Wards and NICU.

When her children were raised, Janice moved to Fort Worth and settled into the grandmother duties to which she looked forward. After getting granddaughters Tiera and Aspen on their feet she retired from John Peter Smith Hospital and returned to Colorado Springs. It was then time to help raise grandsons Mylan and Macaiah.

Although divorced in 1977, Janice comforted David to his sunset on June 16, 2018.

Janice was fun and creative, enjoying most being a grandmother, crochet, needlepoint, reading, crosswords, and while living in Japan, took cake decorating classes.

She was a dedicated loving mother and grandmother committed to the happiness, safety and joy of her children and all those they have. For this we love and cherish you, Mom. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Blue Eyes.

Janice is survived by her youngest sister, Ramona, three sons, two daughters, and six grandchildren: Tiera and Aspen (Kelly), Tristan and Aurora (Barry), Mylan and Macaiah (Weyland), and four great-grandchildren, Alexia (Tiera), Evelyn and Evander (Tristan), and Hayze (Aspen). She deeply loved her generations, who loved and cared for her to her last day.