Janet Louise (Bartles) Smith of Delphos KS passed away peacefully on April 8, 2024, at her residence at the Minneapolis Health and Rehabilitation Center. Janet was born October 25, 1937, in Wood River, Illinois to Thelma and Louis Bartles.

Janet married Rex in 1955 and spent many years living in different parts of the country as an Army wife and stay at home mom. Janet and Rex lived in Delphos for over 30 years enjoying the slow pace and peacefulness of small-town living. Janet loved painting and spending time exploring the countryside enjoying the views and the wildlife. Janet and Rex spent many evenings driving around the back roads of Ottawa county. Many of the things they saw during these drives became subjects for her paintings. As well as painting for herself, she taught painting classes in Delphos. She enjoyed taking painting seminars as well as selling decorative painted items at local craft shows. Janet loved her cats as well as all animals. She was well known for wearing humorous cat themed shirts. Anyone who visited her room could tell you she loved birds (particularly blue birds).

Janet was proceeded in death by her parents and her husband of 62 years, Rex Smith and is survived by her brother, Merle Bartles of Alton IL, her son Allen Smith and his wife Natasha of Kansas City, MO and her daughter Shari Nelson and her husband Marlan of Jamestown, KS. She has 3 grandchildren, Matthew Nelson, Jennifer Gentry, and Ryan Smith. She also has three great grandchildren Kyler. Kensley and Bradley. She also has one nephew, Brian. Janet was a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church in Delphos.

A memorial service for Janet will be held on Friday, April 19 at 1:00 P.M., at Wilson Family Funeral Home in Minneapolis, KS. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Salina Animal Shelter and may be left in care of Wilson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis, KS 67467.