Mary Janice (Vance) Haggard was born Wednesday, January 15, 1947, in Henryetta. She was the only child of the late Everett W. and Helen (Martin) Vance. The family then moved to Okmulgee, where Janice grew up surrounded by friends, extended family and her church home. Her childhood in Okmulgee instilled a deep love for her hometown and the people there who shaped her life. She remained in contact with her classmates and Okmulgee friends throughout the years.
Janice met the love of her life, David Haggard, at a basketball game in Morris at the age of sixteen. She graduated high school in May 1965 and on August 21, 1965, they married in Okmulgee. In 1967, while David was serving his country in Vietnam, their first child, Chris, was born. Janice and Chris lived with her parents in Okmulgee until David’s return, and they then moved to various towns throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, before relocating to Louisiana for David’s job with the USDA Soil Conservation Service.
Janice received her bachelor’s degree in English and Speech from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and her master’s degree in English from Northeast Louisiana University. She highly valued education and not only instilled that commitment to learning in her own children, but also built a career providing an education to others.
In 1972, they welcomed a daughter, Kellie, and in 1978, their third child, Laura, was born. Soon after Laura’s birth, the family moved to Marlow, where Janice designed a Language Arts Lab for 9th-12th grade students at Marlow High School and taught there for seven years. The family then moved to Stillwater in 1986, where Janice taught Freshman English Composition at Oklahoma State University and English, Speech and Drama, and Creative Writing at Perkins High School, retiring in 1997. She had a deep love for teaching and truly cared about her students and coworkers.
Janice was a self-taught pianist, becoming her church accompanist at the age of sixteen. She was also active in the church choir, played the accordion, and later in life became talented in calligraphy. Janice loved genealogy, reading, and spending time with her family. She possessed January 15, 1947 – December 13, 2023
a great love for all animals, but particularly dogs, and had many that she adored over the years. Her self-proclaimed ‘major hobby’ was her grandchildren. She spent most of her days in her later years attending their events, reading and singing to them, and keeping them entertained. Janice was also very devoted to her extended family and deeply enjoyed her relationships with her many cousins, aunts, and uncles. She and David were truly best friends and had recently celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.
Janice started battling health issues at thirty-six years of age and defied many odds over the years. Her indomitable spirit saw her through incredible battles with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer, among other things. On Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 76 years of age, Janice passed away in Stillwater with her family by her side. She was the central figure for her immediate and extended family and her loss leaves a profound gap.
She is survived by her husband, David; a son, Chris Haggard; daughters, Kellie Ebert and husband Ryan and Laura Little Price and husband Brett; grandchildren, Tyler Ebert, Jake Ebert, Cole Ebert, Gentry Ebert, Ashlynn Price, Collier Little and Malone Price; and numerous members of her extended family.
There was a viewing and visitation at Mc-Clendon-Winters Funeral Home Chapel Tuesday, December 19, 2023, from 12-1 p.m. followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. Dr. Dennis Taylor officiated. Interment followed at Okmulgee Cemetery, with Ryan Ebert, Brett Price, Tyler Ebert, Jake Ebert, Cole Ebert and Collier Little serving as casket bearers.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Mc-Clendon-Winters Funeral Home of Okmulgee. Memories, condolences, photos and videos may be shared with the family on Janice’s Tribute Page at www.mcclendon- winters.com.
