Janet S. Wilkerson, 67, died early Thursday morning, July 1, 2010, at an Arlington hospital. Funeral Mass: 10 a.m. Saturday at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Arlington. Entombment: Moore Memorial Gardens, Arlington. Janet was born in Syracuse, Kan., and settled with her parents, the late Frank Bieberly and mother Genevieve Bieberly, in Manhattan, Kan., when her father went to work for Kansas State University. Janet attended Kansas State University and was a graduate of Lucky High School. Janet S. Wilkerson never would be deterred in her mission to spoil her grandchildren and show unconditional love for her children. For these reasons and so many others, she will be greatly missed. As her children and grandchildren learned early on, Grandma was a soft touch. She was the reliable resource for solutions to complicated math, science or English problems that seemed impossible for any other "wise" one to solve. But more importantly, she was there to listen, to nurture and guide. Janet worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Parole Division in Grand Prairie for 13 years until her death. She enjoyed the company of her co-workers and always arrived at the office each day with a drive for clarity and teamwork. If there was good, she would find it. The office gave her a second home in her ebbing professional career and the TDCJ is a little bit better because of her. She was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Angela, and a sister, Jerilyn Broussard. Survivors: Husband, Raymond; daughters, Rae Ann and husband, Peter Rockwood, of San Antonio, Michele Downey of Missouri City and Christy and husband, Casey Helm, of Fayetteville, N.C.; grandchildren, Randee, Zachary and Caroline of San Antonio and Madison and McKenna Downey of Houston, and she was eagerly awaiting the birth of her sixth granddaughter, Avery Helm, in August; brothers, Frank Bieberly Jr. of Teec Nos Pos, Ariz., John Bieberly and his wife, Vicki, of Manhattan, Kan., and Joe Bieberly and wife, Robin, of Unicoi, Tenn.; sisters, Jeanne and husband, Dean Hannebaum, of Yukon, Okla., and Julie Moore and her husband, Bruce, of Salina, Kan.; mother, Genevieve Bieberly of Manhattan, Kan.; and mother-in-law, Thelma Wilkerson of Manhattan, Kan.
Published in Star-Telegram on July 3, 2010