Janet Apland

Services and Interment for Janet Apland, 84, a former Palatine resident, will be private. Her laugh was big, her heart was huge and her hugs were legendary.

Jan died November 3, 2019, with her family by her side at Addolorata Villa in Wheeling. She had been a resident of Addolorata Villa since 2011.

Jan was born on March 6, 1935, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Roy and Lillian Hauser and was a beloved sister to Roy, Jr. She attended Roosevelt High School in Cedar Rapids, IA and continued her education at University of Iowa.

She married the love of her life, Richard Apland, in 1955, during her senior year at Iowa over Christmas break. After she graduated she joined Dick in Germany, where he was stationed in the Army. They returned home to Iowa and had three children, Brad, Scott and Kari, and then moved to Palatine, Illinois. After a quick pit stop in Topeka, Kansas, where they had their fourth child, Kelly, they returned to Palatine and Jan stayed there until her move to Wheeling in 2011.

Along the way, Jan sang like an angel in church choirs, grew beautiful flowers and vegetables in her garden, volunteered relentlessly and stayed in touch with her ADPi sisters. She made lifelong friends everywhere she went, including along her three mile running, and eventually walking, route, and loved entertaining and decorating excessively for every holiday. She worked for District 15 as an ESL teacher for many years and those children were the lucky recipients of her extreme patience and kindness. She made everyone feel welcome in her home, her laugh was big, her heart was huge and her hugs were legendary.

She is survived by her sons Brad and Scott Apland; daughters Kari (Kent) Knebelkamp and Kelly Knox; her grandchildren, Justin, Kelsey, Samantha, Sophie, Max, Gracey, Abby and Paul; and her niece Kim (Bill) Utterback and family.

In lieu of flowers, donations, in Jan’s memory, may be made to Addolorata Villa, 555 McHenry Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090.