Janis Wheeler Cleveland Bates

Janis Earlene Wheeler Cleveland Bates passed from this life on July 8, 2023, after a long illness from COPD. Janis Earlene Wheeler was born in Darwin, Okla., on Sept. 19, 1939, to Frances and Bart Wheeler. She was the fourth of four daughters and preceded in death by her mother and father; two sisters: Bertha Lee Smith and Lou Jean Shelby, and a son, Paul Anthony (Tony) Cleveland. She is survived by a sister, Barbara Morris and four children: Monica Jan Thames, Robert Barton Cleveland, Thomas Scott Cleveland and Bradley Stephen Cleveland; nine grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

Jan married Robert Virgil Cleveland in 1955 and had five children together. They divorced in 1975 but remained close until Robert passed away in 1998. She was married to Leon Bates from 1982 until he died in 2003.

Jan became a follower of Christ at age 11. She had a deep knowledge of the Bible and taught her children the importance of serving the Lord. She easily admitted her faults, relying on God’s mercy to forgive.

Jan was a homemaker during the early years of her children’s lives.

Jan fostered the creativity and education of her children, encouraging them to improve themselves through hard work and doing what is right. She was an accomplished seamstress, making clothes for her family and others. She was an exceptional quilter and doll dressmaker.

Jan volunteered as her children grew, such as the Cub Scouts of America. Later in life, she volunteered for the local literacy council. Her generosity in helping her children and others better themselves led to her final career in adult education.

Though she didn’t complete high school, Jan used a veracious appetite to read to educate herself as she raised her children. Before home-schooling was a thing, she taught her children art and other academic pursuits. She instilled in her children a belief that they could do whatever they were willing to work to achieve. Though they were poor, her family felt rich because of Jan’s love for her family.

Jan pursued vocational training as a young adult and later graduated college at age 58 with a 4.0 average from Oklahoma University with a Bachelor in Education.

For the next 20 years, she taught adult education, helping countless people get their GED certificates so they could find betterpaying jobs. Jan also taught at local correction facilities, helping inmates gain their GEDs and improve their lives upon release.

Jan moved from Hugo, Okla., to Fayetteville, Ark., in 2003, continuing to work in adult education until age 78. Janis dedicated the remaining years of her life to her family, always willing to help someone in need.

Funeral Services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, July 14, 2023 at Darwin Cemetery, seven miles west of Antlers, Okla. on Hwy 7.

Services are under the direction of Serenity Funeral Home.

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