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Jan was born in Garden City Kansas. She is the youngest and only remaining of 13 children (5 boys, 8 girls).

She spent her childhood on their farm, helping grow crops and take care of livestock. She also took care of various nieces and nephews.

Jeanette lived during the Great Depression. Her family had good crops, however. They provided food and shelter for many wandering people.

Once, Jan was told there was an Indian by their mailbox. She asked him if he would come inside, but he wouldn't, so she brought him a plate of food. She then asked him if he was Geronimo, and he said he was. In hindsight, she realizes he wasn't actually Geronimo. She also wishes she'd brought him something to drink.

She and her sisters wore dresses made from feed sacks, while her brothers wore farm clothes. Clothes were often a struggle for Jan, as she was 5'11'' at her tallest. This height is the only thing she'd change about her life.

Every Sunday, her family would host giant dinners, with five or six different families and lots of music and singing. Men would play cards in the living room, women would be in the living room, and the children would disappear.

Jan's mother was German, blind, and only spoke German. She died when Jan was young, and was really sick throughout Jan's life. Jan loved her father, who was her best friend. He called her "his baby" and often bought her sweets.

Jan used to love visiting her best friends. They took turns going to each others houses, walking 2+ miles to get there. Jan stole her brothers horse and rode it bare-back to her friends house, but got caught.

Jan was the only one of her family to graduate middle and high school. She graduated high school in 1944. She continued to learn college-level material at her public library, but never actually went to university.

Her first real job was at a drug store when she was 18. She got paid about 20$ a week. She used this money to make payments on her first car, a beat-up Ford.

Jan spent most of her adulthood working at Beech Aircraft. Her childhood dream career, however, was a nun. Her mother wouldn't let her.

While at Beech Aircraft, she met her one and only love, Charlie. They met in the early 50's.

Jan and Charlie had two weddings. The first was at her nieces house on May 28, 1954. 6 months later they had a ceremony at a Catholic church.

Her greatest accomplishment is all of the children she took care of. In the afternoons, the children from the nearby school would play in the streets. This wasn't safe so, having no children of her own, Jan took them into her house until their parents came home from work.

The greatest reward she ever had was meeting all of the people she took care of at her 90th birthday party a few months ago. She barely recognized some of them.

Jan belonged to several women's clubs, and traveled all over the U.S. with them. She flew over Canada once, but has never technically left the country. When flying, she ALWAYS sat in the window seat.

Jan's favorite color is red, because it's so bright.

Her favorite toy is her first doll that hung on her wall, bought for her by Charlie. She didn't have toys growing up.

She loves all music, thought she can't sing worth anything.

Her favorite food is chicken and noodles, with homemade noodles and her family's own chickens.

Her advice to teenagers is to just be a good teenager. It's the best part of life.

Her advice to the next president is to take care of our country. She also notes that we need changes.

She would advise her past self to keep her mouth shut. She thinks she talked too much.

She has also learned that everybody's nice, you've just got to find it.

The most stressful situations she's been in have been funerals. First, her mom and dad's, during which all of her family was scattered. Then, after 53 years of marriage, her husband Charlie died.

She says how rewarding getting older is is dependent on how you lived your life.

She says she's lived a good life. She just feels lonely after her husband died. However, she is grateful for the life she's been given. She wouldn't switch ages or experiences.