Janet Lee Lea was born in Lebanon, MO on June 27, 1961, to Mike and Joyce Scott. She died at age 61 in Springfield, MO on April 20, 2023, at 12:17pm, a year and a half after her diagnosis of breast cancer. A Celebration of Life will be held May 3, 2023, at Northside Christian Church (4902 N Glenstone Ave Springfield, MO 65803). Fellowship and dessert will be at 3:00pm, followed by a Celebration of Life service at 4:30pm. It was Janet's wish for this celebration to reflect the joy she is experiencing in Heaven. We request you wear bright colors. During the service to follow, there will be an informal opportunity to share a story or something you loved about Janet.

Janet is celebrating a reunion in Heaven with her mother, Joyce, and other family and friends who have gone before her. She is survived by her father, Mike Scott; her sister and brother-in-law, Jodie and Kelly Chenoweth; and her children: Vanessa and Jacob Lumby and son Arthur; Scott and Kathryn Lea. Janet is also survived by a tight-knit community of friends who loved and supported her through every season.

Janet graduated from Logan Rogersville High School in 1979 in her childhood hometown of Rogersville, Missouri. She was a cheerleader, salutatorian, and Homecoming Queen. She loved her high school years, where she met many of her lifelong friends. She married her high school sweetheart, Alan Lea, on October 16, 1982, just a few weeks after returning from her tour of Europe. She greatly enjoyed newlywed life, full of time with friends, traveling, and building her beloved Rogersville house where she raised her children and lived the majority of her life.

Alan and Janet welcomed their daughter, Vanessa, in August of 1990. They later welcomed their son, Scott, in July of 1993. She then finished her Master of Business Administration degree in 1995, though she chose to work part time so she could be a full-time mother, a job she truly loved. Her children were her pride and joy. This was a very full season of life. Janet valued meaningful connection with others. She carried with her a very organized calendar packed with celebrations, vacations, and meaningful activities with her children, husband, friends, and family. She was a dedicated member of Glendale Christian Church for many years and later became a member of Northside Christian Church.

In 2012, Janet suffered a severe stroke. She was in critical condition, then rehabilitation, for many months and did not recover full functionality. The next 10 years were the most difficult of her life, marking an extended season of hardship while she relearned how to live with multiple disabilities. Throughout this time, she remained a kind, loving, generous person and displayed a great deal of resilience, strength, and perseverance.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of 2021. In the last 3 years of her life, she enjoyed the opportunity to live with Jacob, Vanessa, and Arthur, and then Scott and Kathryn. Her home was warm and bright, just as she always was.

Even as a young girl, her constant desire was to make sure no one was left out, and she made intentional effort to remember the details of each person's life. Janet enjoyed baking, traveling, bird watching, shopping, trying new foods, and riding any roller coaster she could find. She was always ready to laugh.

More than anything else, Janet desired to live an obedient Christian life. Even as she endured the pain of illness, she clung tightly to Jesus' promises, promises she is now experiencing in full.