JANET KATHERINE MILLER

December 10, 1947 - May 9, 2013 Janet Katherine (Meyer) Miller passed away after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by her loving family, on May 9, 2013 at the family home where she was married. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Visitation Catholic Church, 5141 Main Street, KCMO, on May 14 at 11AM, with private interment following at Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be at Redemptorist Church at 3333 Broadway, KCMO, on May 13 from 5 to 8PM. A reception will be held at the Carriage Club at 5301 State Line Rd, KCMO, on May 14 from 5 to 7PM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Lawrence and Mary Jane Meyer Scholarship Fund at St. Teresa's Academy, the Kansas City Art Institute in Memory of Janet K. Miller, the Janet K. Miller Fund at the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, or The Toy & Miniature Museum in Honor of Janet K. Miller. Janet was a lifelong Kansas City, Missouri resident and member of Visitation Catholic Church. She graduated from St. Teresa's Academy and received a BA in Journalism from the University of Missouri- Columbia. She joined the Kansas City Star Company in 1969 as a business reporter and copy editor, where her first beat assignment as a young woman was the rough environs of the Kansas City stockyards. In 1973 she was appointed Assistant Financial Editor where she was integral to the Star's coverage of the rapidly changing Kansas City business environment of the 1970s -- ultimately rising in 1978 to become the Business and Financial Editor of both the Kansas City Times and the Kansas City Star. She was one of the first female Financial Editors of a major U.S. newspaper, and was part of the Star team awarded the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Hyatt Regency skywalk disaster. In her managerial role, Janet oversaw the expansion of a robust local business news department and mentored many young financial writers. In the 1970s and 1980s, Janet played a central role as a stalwart supporter of the efforts for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Missouri and the women's movement in Kansas City. She was a Founding Funder of the Women's Foundation and served on the Board of the Women's Council and on the founding Board of the UMKC Women's Center. Between her professional and public activities, she was a role model for many young women aspiring to senior management positions in Kansas City. After the birth of her children, Janet retired from journalism and directed her passion and energy to a second career of leadership in civic, not-for-profit and community activities. With her husband, she was actively engaged in the Rockhill Homes Association and midtown neighborhood preservation. She was a Board member and former President of the Association, creator of the Rockhillian newsletter, and was involved in securing for Rockhill the first Historic Neighborhood designation in the city. She was responsible for the development of the vest pocket park and memorial to William Rockhill Nelson at Rockhill Road and 45th Street. Her civic activities included appointment by the City to serve as a member of the Kansas City Missouri Tax Increment Financing Commission from 1987-1991, during which time she received the Cornerstone Award by the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation. As a great advocate for the arts gifted with a unique mix of financial acumen and managerial talent, Janet's skills were in high demand among Kansas City area not-for- profits. Janet enjoyed a twenty-two year association with the Kansas City Art Institute where she served on the Board of Directors, including a term as Chairman; as Chairman of the Board, she brought the school through many difficult challenges culminating in the choice of an excellent President. She also joined her husband in creating the annual 'Art of the Car Concours' benefiting the KCAI Scholarship Fund. For many years she was a dedicated member, officer and Board member of the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. As part of a lifelong love of dolls and miniatures, she was asked to join the Board and subsequently became Chairman of the Toy and Miniature Museum where she set the standards for it to become a truly national museum. Among her many other not-for-profit and charitable affiliations, she served on the Board of the Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music, as Treasurer of the Westport Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a member of the Council of the Society of Fellows of the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Janet's greatest passion however was her family. She was a deeply committed mother and was actively engaged with her sons in many activities surrounding the Pembroke Hill School. She served on numerous committees, including the Pembroke Board of Trustees, and attended incalculable sporting events and other extracurricular activities. Later, Janet and her husband served as co- chairs of the Parents Association of her son's alma mater, Occidental College. Her commitment to her family extended further to a deep and abiding interest in genealogy, which she extensively researched and documented in treks with her cousins and siblings throughout North America. Janet's life was characterized by her tireless passion, energy and patience. To her family and friends, she was known as an unfailingly elegant and graceful woman. She is survived by her husband, Marshall, and two sons, Jonathan Lee of Pasadena, CA, and Daniel Edward of Atlanta, GA. Besides her husband and sons, Janet is also survived by her seven siblings: Lawrence Meyer, Mary Suzanne Meyer, Joseph (Diane) Meyer, Mark (Dianna) Meyer, Deborah (James) Bird, Laurie (David) Hathman, and Brigid (Stephen) Oberkrom and by her many loving nieces and nephews to whom she will always be 'Janie- Mom', and her beloved dog Betsy. M