Cherine K. Janzen

Cherine Kristin Janzen was born on January 7, 1953 in Denver, CO to parents George and Avis Berlin. Cherine grew up in Golden, CO with her sister, Joni, and brothers, George and John. Her father graduated from The Colorado School of Mines and during her early years their family home was adjacent to the Mines campus.

While attending Metropolitan State College, Cherine went to a South American Mines student party, at the urging of her mother. There she met Howard, who also had been prodded to attend the party. They were both smitten with a very intense case of love at first sight. Within 3 months, they were married and shared a life-long love that grew stronger as each of their 40 years of marriage went by. After Howard's graduation from The Colorado School of Mines, they moved to Tulsa, OK, where they spent much of their married life. They also spent career driven time in Kansas City (twice!), Minneapolis, Boston and California. Their daughter Suzanne also graduated from Mines and the Mines marketing effort is already underway with grandchildren. Cherine and Howard moved back to the Denver area in 2013.

Her faith, family and friends were of prime importance to Cherine. She treasured time with her husband, children and grandchildren and delighted in creating reasons to bring them all together in the same place at the same time. Despite the geographic challenges, barely a month would go by without some form of family adventure or get together. Howard's lifelong flying hobby helped allow this to happen. Cherine also formed unusually strong friendships in all the places she spent time and worked diligently to nurture bonds that grew lasting relationships. She had a heart for serving others and instilled this value in her children by involving them in volunteer activities at an early age. Cherine served on the National Friends of the Library board, the FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) board, the Tulsa Ballet Board and volunteered at Children's Hospital in Denver. In addition, she was a church elder, Sunday school teacher, Camp Fire Leader, Cub Scout leader and mentor for Odyssey of The Mind.

Cherine had diverse interests and strong talents. Her degree in Interior Design helped sharpen her natural eye for colors, fabrics and design. She was the ultimate craft person, engaging in many forms of creative activity. While battling cancer and growing weaker by the day, Cherine completed a beautiful quilt for her new granddaughter, who was born the Saturday before Cherine died. Cherine had a very developed sense of style; however, her real motivation was not to display her talent but rather to pass on love to others through her creations.

Cherine also had a very strong sense of adventure, jointly shared with Howard and her children. She loved scuba diving, hiking, biking, travel and flowers of all descriptions. She was the family encyclopedia, able to identify all varieties of fish, flowers, plants and dogs. Cherine and Howard were blessed to be able to travel all over the world, often flying themselves. They flew to 29 countries in their airplanes and Cherine immersed herself in the cultures, crafts and histories of their many destinations. Often trips were accompanied by friends and family members.

Cherine had an inherited gene mutation that predisposed her to certain cancers. Her first cancer was identified 11 years ago and Cherine had a near constant running battle with this awful disease. Many people were not aware because she never complained nor allowed cancer to dictate her life. She educated herself and took personal responsibility to stay ahead of the cancer challenges she faced. She used this education and devotion to help many others who were also confronted with cancer. Despite all this, one of her cancers returned with a vengeance and she declined very quickly over the last several months. Her family showered her with love and care and was with her when she went to be with God on Thursday afternoon August 17, 2017.

Left to mourn her passing are her husband Howard Janzen, son Michael Janzen, his wife Darci and grandsons Charlie and Christopher of Edmond, OK; daughter Suzanne Ewert, her husband Michael and grandchildren Jacob and Anna Claire of Cherry Hills Village, CO; her son Peter Janzen, his wife Lyndsay and grandchildren Franklin and Diana of Tulsa, OK; her brother George Berlin and his wife Sarah and brother John Berlin and his wife Dilsa. Also mourning her passing are her beloved nieces Robynne, Heather and Elizabeth and her many friends.

We as a family mourn, but we are not without hope because we know that Cherine is now with her Lord and Savior. We look forward to a joyful reunion in the presence of Christ. A service to celebrate her life will be held at 4:00pm MDT Friday August 25th at Christ Church Denver, 2950 S University Blvd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HeritX (https://www.heritx.org) or your favorite charity.

The Family rejoices that Cherine was shared with us.