Obituary of Janice LaRue Sturgill
Janice LaRue Sturgill (79) longtime resident of Harrison, ID passed away on July 13, 2022, at Benewah Community Hospital in St. Maries, ID. She was born to Harold and Ruth (Kinsey) Louton on March 6, 1943, in National City, CA. Janice grew up in Gridley, CA, and graduated from Biggs High School with the class of 1960.
Following high school, Janice attended some college before she went to work for the CIA. Her job took her to Washington DC, Hawaii, and Saigon, Vietnam. It was in Saigon where she met LCDR Jack Sturgill, and the couple married on August 17, 1973, in Coeur d’ Alene, ID. Jack and Janice made their home in Harrison, ID. They had 2 children, and Janice stayed home with them until they entered elementary school. She then went to work in 1987 for Kootenai School District #274. Her first position was as the district secretary. Janice then went on to take additional night accounting classes at North Idaho College. She obtained the responsibility of Financial Manager for the school district. When she was of retirement age, she did try to retire; however, she loved her job and would fill in on a part-time basis in the following years. She finally fully retired in 2012 at the age of 69.
Janice volunteered with the Harrison Ambulance for many years. While she was raising her children, she was very active in keeping them busy and out of trouble. If there wasn’t a club or organization to put them in, she would create one! She also volunteered for Minor League Baseball and Cub Scouts. Janice was an avid reader and was simply happy if she had a good book in her hand. For many years, she also enjoyed watching NASCAR and attending the Buffet at the Coeur d’ Alene Casino.
Janice is survived by her husband Jack at their home in Harrison; children Jon (Jessica) Sturgill of San Diego, CA, and Joel Sturgill of Bend, OR; siblings Jerry (Karen) Louton of Reno, NV, Judy Swanson of Gridley, CA, and Bud Louton of Arizona; 3 grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents and her brother Dale Louton
