Janice Daggett

Janice (Jan) Daggett passed away on May 3rd, 2025, in Hawarden, Iowa at the age of ninety after a long and full life. The funeral service will be at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hawarden on Friday, May 23rd at 2:00. A graveside service will be held at Bergen Lutheran Church outside Meckling, South Dakota on Saturday, May 24th at 2:00. Jan's life was defined by a love of family, pride in her many talents, an earthy, sometimes pungent, sense of humor and a survivor's grit. She was born on a small farm near the Missouri River west of Vermillion, SD during the Great Depression. As a result, she learned how to make do and survive the lean times. She knew how to work hard and did. But she was a raging extrovert who loved to socialize. Her lifelong friends included people from every part of her life, including high school, the Dupont Street neighborhood in Sioux City, nursing school, work, and church. She seemed to know everyone. No, really. She was blessed with amazing musical talent. At age 5, she started playing piano by ear. In High School she made the SD Allstate band as a French horn player. As a teen she joined a polka band, singing and playing piano for dances well into her adult years. As a result, her kids ate countless Swanson pot pies on Saturday nights. It's OK, we liked them. She played organ and piano for church services, weddings, and funerals until the last few years of her life. She passed on her musical gifts to many of her grandchildren. Jan started her nursing career at the age of thirty-eight by enrolling in the USD Nursing School in Vermillion, SD in 1973. It was an intimidating experience for her at first. But with the help of her instructors and fellow students, she completed her training in the spring of 1976. Being an RN became a central part of Jan's identity. She worked as a hospital nurse, a clinic nurse and later as Director of Nursing for the Alcester nursing home. She was a compassionate and caring nurse. She also loved the excitement of the ER, despite the difficulty of being on duty when friends and family needed emergency care. She had only recently gotten her nursing license when her first husband, Ray, passed. She often said her nursing degree saved her during that exceedingly difficult period of her life. Jan had creative energy and varied interests. She learned massage therapy at a school in Carmel, CA. She made dolls during the Cabbage Patch era. Remember that? She sewed prom dresses for big girls, flower girl dresses for little girls, and quilted blankets for each of her grandchildren. She baked and decorated fancy cakes for weddings and special occasions, as a business and for family. She loved to cook, eat and travel. Jan was a dark-haired beauty with many admirers. To the disappointment of the Vermillion boys, she fell in love with and married Raymond (Ray) Lee of Volin, SD on February 19th, 1954. She became a widow when Ray passed in 1978. She married again on December 30th, 1989, to Dr. James Daggett of Hawarden. Jan was widowed for a second time on July 27th, 2018. She was married one other time in between, but we don't really talk about that. Jan was preceded in death by her parents, John and Edna (Fisher) Gray, her sister, Joyce (Gray) Orr, and her husbands, Raymond Lee and James Daggett. She is survived by her five children, Kristi (Steve) Douglas of Commerce City, CO, Jana (Jeff) Quam of Sioux Falls, SD, John (Kathy) Lee of Hawarden, IA, James (April) Lee of Meckling, SD and Stacey (Craig) Akers of Chandler, AZ, thirteen grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. She was also blessed to have shared her life with Jim Daggett's children and grandchildren. She leaves behind a grieving family and friends who will miss her dearly. To send flowers to the family of Janice, please visit our floral store.