Janice Fay Anderson

On June 5, 1952, in the small farming community of Radville, Saskatchewan, the Anderson family welcomed their newest little addition, Janice. She was the youngest of Sandy and Ruby’s four children. Jan recalled her early years on the farm as a pretty sweet time of her life. Days spent outdoors, with the animals, having lil’ adventures with her siblings.

In 1959, the family relocated to Winnipeg. Jan described this move as life-changing. Jan not only achieved high academic standards in school, she was also quite an athlete in her high school years. She was an avid speed-skater and won many awards in the sport.  

After leaving high school, Jan left the prairies, headed west, and spent time in California before moving to White Rock. She talked fondly about her time there. She met and married her first husband, Kevin Janes at this time.

The North called and Jan answered, moving up to Cassiar. She found work with the Cassiar Asbestos Mine office, made many new friends, and settled in. Unfortunately, her marriage didn’t work out, but as the wheels of fate would have it, she met Norman Day, who was a young Tahltan apprentice Electrician from Telegraph Creek. They became a couple and bought a little house just out of town.

Daughter Stacey came along to make it three in 1976 and daughter Robyn followed along in 1977, and now they were four. Both Jan and Norm went to work for Erickson Gold. She as Administrative Assistant to the Mine Manager and he as Head Electrician. In the early ‘80’s, the family relocated to White Rock. Then, they were all so delighted to welcome son Chad into the family in 1987. 

Every summer, Jan would pack up the kids and headed to Days Ranch near Telegraph Creek, BC for the summer holidays. And she had so many extra kids there over the years.  Many people who are now adults have talked about having such happy childhood memories of being at the Ranch with Auntie Jan. 

In the late ‘80’s, Jan and Norman separated, and they both relocated to Telegraph Creek. After a short period in Telegraph Creek, Jan moved again, this time to Smithers, and it has remained her home ever since. She went to work at Huckleberry Mine, again as the Mine Managers Administrative Assistant. Because Jan was so active socially, she soon had a tight circle of friends in Smithers. Jan was well-known as an amazing cook and has fed the multitudes over the years.    

As her grandchildren started coming along, Jan loved being a Grandma. She enjoyed having them visit, taking them on little adventures, playing cards and board games, cooking and telling them stories.

When Jan was single she often joked and said she was done with the cowboys! Then Dempsey rode into her life and blew that statement out of the water!  Jan and Dempsey, as Forrest Gump said, “fit together like peas and carrots”. They were together for nearly a decade before they married in 2010, and their blended family grew to include Dempsey's daughters, Cynthia, Camille, and Candis, along with their children.  

Dempsey and Jan travelled all over the world, danced under the moon, cheered on the cowboys at the rodeos, ridden and camped in the back country, and walked the beaches of the Cook Islands together. They have supported each other, had a lot of great laughs and made a million memories over the years. 

Jan loved to float on the river in the tubes and she loved her kayaks. The kayaks were so good in her later years because as she said, she didn’t have much strength for walking but she could still paddle.  

She had a hard time admitting to most people how sick she really was toward the end. She just didn’t want to leave us and worked so hard to stay here with the love of her life, Dempsey Callison. 

Mrs. Janice Anderson of Smithers, BC, passed away on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital. She is pre-deceased by her parents Alexander (Sandy) and Ruby Anderson. She is survived by her husband, Dempsey Callison, her children: Stacey Hanik, Robyn Day, and Chad Day, and her siblings: Jeanie Anderson, Robert (Andy) Anderson, and Ken Anderson. 

“Go fly high on that mountain, now your work on Earth is done——-“

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