Janice Mae Urman

JANICE MAE (DREZDON) URMAN
Janice Urman passed from this life to life everlasting on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Sierra Vista. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 13, 1936, the daughter of George Drezdon, a tavern keeper, and Irene (Mikolajczak) Dresdon. From an early age, Janice was involved with the family business, from trading booze for meat during the lean years of the early 1940s, to cashing workmens' paychecks at the end of the bar on Friday evenings. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, Janice attended Marquette University where, as a homecoming princess, she met Liberace (and touched his knee).
While attending school and working at the Ladish Company in Milwaukee, Janice met Robert Urman, who asked her out in a stairwell at first sight. Amused by this skinny, impetuous young man, Janice said yes and that first date to see "The War of the Worlds" turned into a 70-year love story.
Upon graduation from Marquette with a degree in physical therapy, Janice and Bob were married in 1957. Janice went to work at Milwaukee Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital, and sons Michael and Steven soon arrived. In 1962 Janice and Bob schlepped the kids and their possessions to Arizona for the warmer climate, where they settled in Phoenix to raise their family. Two more kids arrived, son Gary and daughter Julie.
In 1967, when the kids were old enough to cause trouble on their own, Janice returned to work, this time at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix where she rose to be director of the Good Samaritan Hospital's Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine. The years were filled with boy scouts, sports leagues, mining excursions and school activities, all while Janice and Bob worked full time and successfully provided a happy childhood for their kids.
In 1986, with the kids having moved on to college and life, Janice and Bob moved to Sonoita, Arizona where they built their forever home on 20 acres. Janice continued to work, providing physical therapy services throughout Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties, until she ultimately retired for good in 1996. The years in Sonoita were spent with community activities including the Elgin Club, The Santa Cruz County Fair Association and the Church, as well as travel throughout the West and Midwest to visit national parks (Devil's Tower being her favorite), casinos and grandkids (not necessarily in that order). Janice became an award-winning quilter, and she worked tirelessly as the creator and a director of the foundation that raised the money to build Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Sonoita.
Janice was predeceased by her parents, George and Irene Drezdon, stepfathers Erv Sobczak and Erv Kazik, her brother Gregory Drezdon, and grandchildren Jessica Fay and Alex Urman. She is survived by Robert Urman, her husband of 67 years, her sister Nancy Gabourie, children Michael (Kelly) Urman, Steven (Dana) Urman, Gary (Amy) Urman and Julie (Lee) Centner, grandchildren Chris (Christi) Urman, Casey (Jessica) Urman, Jonathan (Danielle) Urman, Nicholas Urman, Juliana Urman, Anna Claire (Jeremy Cruz Asher) Urman, Dr. Nicole (Amar) Urman-Mirza, Jacob (Shantel) Centner, Matthew Centner and Douglas Urman, and great-grandchildren Sawyer Urman, Rhys Urman, Indie Urman and Lincoln Escalera Urman.
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