Janice Carner Reynolds Heinlen

Dr. Janice Carner Reynolds Heinlen died on Sunday, October 30, 2022, with her husband, Ret. Chaplain Dick Heinlen by her side. She was 79 years young. Jan was born in Southern Illinois on March 21, 1943, the oldest child of Harvey and Lorita Carner. In 1961, she graduated from Johnston City High School in Illinois and later graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where she met her husband of 51 years, Dr. Harold Morgan Reynolds (deceased). As a professional, Jan went on to earn a Master of Science in Education in Emotionally Disturbed Children at the University of Central Missouri in 1970 and a Specialist degree in Education and Counseling at the University of New Mexico in 1973. In 1988, Jan received her Doctorate in Education Administration and Counseling at the University of Missouri at Columbia. During her career she taught everyone from second graders, to special education students, to graduate students. She finished the last decade of her career at the University of Central Missouri, where she served as a Professor of Education Administration and Graduate Coordinator (Emeritus). She has published numerous scholarly academic articles and is still cited widely, both nationally and internationally. As a person, Jan was smart, beautiful, kind, funny, and loving. She fought for civil rights during the 1960s, marching with her husband, Harry, alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for fair housing in Chicago. She spent her entire adult life working to further legislation that would uplift minorities, women, marginalized, and disadvantaged communities. She was a devoted wife to Harry for 51 years before his untimely death. She deeply loved and took great pride in her precious son, Mark Reynolds, and her special daughter, Erica Reynolds. She was very grateful for her amazing daughter-in-law, Laren Mahoney Reynolds, and son-in-law, Daniel Craig Clayton. She adored her grand-dog babies, Kelce and Mahomes, and was certain her grand-daughters, Brinkley and Breck, were the most miraculous children ever born. She found immense joy in all of the smart, creative, decent, and zany family friends she encountered through her many years in Missouri, and later in Florida, where she retired among the most wonderful people anyone has ever met. In the last two years of her life, Jan found an unexpected and thoroughly blissful second chance at love in her second husband, Ret. Chaplain Richard Heinlen (Dick). Neighbors delighted in seeing the pair walking hand-in-hand through the neighborhood, attending their murder mystery parties, and witnessing an inspirational, late-in-life romance that was truly heaven sent. She died knowing her kids are happily married, hardworking contributors to society, and that her grandchildren were nothing short of extraordinary. Jan spent the last two years of her life dancing, singing, acting, spending time with her incredible friends, visiting her children and grandchildren, working toward progressive policies, enjoying her garden, and marveling in the blessing of finding Dick and the truest joy life has to offer. In short, she had a rich life--and she had a blast. Jan is survived by her adoring husband, Ret. Chaplain Richard “Dick” Heinlen, USAF, her loving children Mark Carner Reynolds (wife Laren) and Erica Reynolds Clayton (husband Dan), her precious grand-daughters, Brinkley and Breck Clayton, and her sweet step-daughter, Heather Heinlen Santos (husband Lou and children, Jessica and Jakob). In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, “Go Red for Women,” dedicated to increasing awareness about heart disease, which takes the lives of 1 in 3 women in the US. https://www.goredforwomen.org/en

Janice Carner Reynolds Heinlen

March 21, 1943 - October 30, 2022