Jan Roth
By Carol Hollenbeck, Web Manager

Jan DeLance (Roth) was raised near Dunlap, Iowa. She attended country school until she was in 5th Grade. She and her sister did not have a home church and were invited by students to attend their Sunday School at the Lutheran Church. They also attended a summer camp that the church sponsored at Lake Okoboji. She was a member of the church choir in which the other members were “so welcoming.” She said that the people at that church were “so good to my sister and me.” She credits those experiences for providing a “foundation for my faith.”

After graduation from Dunlap High School, in 1960, she came down to Omaha and attended the CE (Commercial Extension) School of Commerce. In December 1960 she was hired by Paramount Paper Products of Omaha as an executive secretary. She would work at Paramount Paper for eight and a half years. She advanced up through the ranks of the company and became the first woman and youngest person to become a supervisor there.

She came to know a terrific fellow-employee at Paramount Paper named Moe. In 1964 she and Moe were married at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Omaha. Five years later they were blessed with a son, Scott, and at that time Jan converted to the Catholic Church. She was confirmed at St. James in Omaha in 1969 where they were parishioners. Their daughter Sandy came along in 1980.

Jan and her husband Moe would later be founding members of the new Elizabeth Anne Seton Church of Omaha in 1981. They established the renewal process for the parish as leaders and were members of the choir. Jan was president of the Daughters of Seton, and organized the Seder Meal, serving three to four hundred people. Jan’s husband Moe passed away in 1988 when her son Scott was 19 and her daughter Sandy was 8 years old. Both the Roth children attended Catholic schools for their entire education. Jan was also an EME (Eucharistic Minister) and served on the Parish Council at Elizabeth Anne Seton.

Jan has worked as an accountant for the Visiting Nurses in Omaha and a clerk at an Omaha Public Library. Following her husband’s death she worked part-time so she could care for her young children. She worked at Lancer Label for a total of nine years full-time and ten years part-time, until her retirement at age 70.

Jan joined CDA Court St. Anthony #330 in 2007, after relocating to Council Bluffs. She attends Mass at Queen of Apostles church. She has served as Treasurer and Regent of our court. She said that she joined “to meet people.” She is active in the Past Regents group and can be counted on to serve at Lenten raffles, Salad Luncheons, the auditing committee and many other activities. She has attended CDA workshops across the state and was a delegate to the National CDA convention in Omaha in 2012. She said the women of this court have “always been welcoming and good to me.”

Jan is an active attendee at the Senior Center in Council Bluffs. She is currently taking a writing class there. An avid reader, she belongs to three book clubs. Her son is earning a PhD and is a History teacher. Her love of writing and reading surely had an influence on him. Jan’s daughter Sandy attended law school at the University of Minnesota and currently works as a lawyer in Minneapolis, MN. Jan very much enjoys traveling and keeps in close touch with family. That family now includes four grandchildren whom she “loves to watch.”

Jan Roth has a beautiful smile and a wonderful laugh. She brings joy to her friends, family and her CDA sisters. Thank you Jan for your service to our court.

“Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.” Proverbs 31:31