Janice Louise McFarland

Janice Louise McFarland, 71, passed away peacefully at her home on Lake Mexia on August 17, 2026, surrounded by the life and family she loved so deeply.

Janice was born March 25, 1955, in Riesel, Texas, to Monroe and Gladys Lehrmann. She was the oldest of eight children and attended Riesel schools. Although life took her to several Texas communities over the years, Janice always considered Riesel home.

Caring for others was woven into Janice's life from an early age. As a young girl, she spent time living with and helping care for her maternal grandmother, Rebecca Walker, during her illness. As a teenager, Janice also helped care for and raise her youngest brother, Darrell, who was born with Down syndrome. Following the deaths of their parents, Janice and George continued caring for Darrell, and he made his home with them for more than 15 years. These experiences reflected something that would remain true throughout Janice's life: caregiving for others was a part of her.

Janice met her partner for life, George David McFarland, on a blind date arranged by their friends, Thomas and Carolyn Potts. Apparently, their friends knew what they were doing. After dating for just 3 months, Janice and George married on December 29, 1972, when Janice was just 17 years old, beginning a marriage that would span more than 53 years. Together they built a life, raised their family, weathered unimaginable loss, cared for those who needed them, and shared all of the ordinary moments that become extraordinary when looked back upon after more than five decades together. On their 50th wedding anniversary, surrounded by their family, they renewed their vows at the beautiful Anthony Chapel in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Together, Janice and George built a life centered around their children: Brandy, Angie, George Delmer II “Bo”, and Tishia. Their son Bo passed away as an infant in 1977. Janice carried the love and loss of her baby boy throughout her life and often longed for the day she could hold him again. Her family finds great comfort in knowing that, after nearly 49 years apart, mother and son are finally together again.

Janice spent the majority of her working years at M&M Mars in Waco, where she eventually retired. She had an extraordinary work ethic and took tremendous pride in doing her job well. She was the person who showed up early, rarely if ever missed a day, and believed that if you were going to do a job, you did it right. Her children knew her as one of the hardest-working people they would ever meet.

But work was never the center of Janice's world. Family was.

Janice loved family gatherings and carried on traditions that kept generations connected. Holidays mattered to her, and she made sure there was a place at her table not only for her own children and grandchildren, but also for nieces, nephews and other family members who had lost their parents. Family did not stop being family simply because someone was gone. Keeping everyone connected was important to Janice, and she quietly assumed responsibility for making sure it happened.

Janice was a devoted mother in ways her children will never forget. Her oldest daughter, Brandy, gave Janice her first Mother's Day gift by being born on Mother's Day. As the firstborn, Brandy was also the daughter Janice often counted on as the older sibling, a role that came with responsibility but also with a deep and special bond between them. When Angie was sick as a small child, Janice cared for her with cool baths, hourly temperature checks and medicine given right on schedule, the kind of attentive care that was passed on to Angie. And her youngest daughter, Tishia, remained very much "the baby" of the family in her mother's eyes no matter how old she became. Another unique and special bond that they shared. Each of her daughters experienced her love in her own way, but they always knew that being their mother was one of the most important roles of Janice's life.

Janice adored her grandchildren and loved each of them for exactly who they were. Some of their most cherished childhood memories were made during summers spent at their nanny and papaws house, where their home became a familiar and special part of growing up. Those relationships only grew as her grandchildren became adults. Her granddaughters especially came to know and love Janice's frequent back-to-back phone calls, when she would work her way through calling each of them simply to talk, catch up and, of course, find out what was going on in their lives. As they grew older, she took tremendous pride in the people they became and in watching each of them build lives and families of their own. Her relationship with each grandchild was unique, but they all knew how deeply their nanny loved them.

That joy only grew as Janice became a great-grandmother. She was thrilled to welcome Harper, her first great-grandchild, marking the beginning of another generation of the family she treasured so deeply. She was overjoyed to learn that Sutton Louise would carry her name, creating a special connection that will continue through generations. And as her time grew shorter, Janice was determined to meet and hold her newest great-grandson, Wolf. She was able to do just that, giving her and her family a precious memory they will always treasure.

From the summers spent with her grandchildren to the arrival of her great-grandchildren, few things brought Janice more happiness than watching the family she loved continue to grow.

And then there was the wonderfully candid side of Janice.

She loved knowing what was going on and was famous within the family for asking whether anyone had heard any new news or gossip. If there was something interesting happening, Janice wanted the update.

She also loved to shop. Really loved to shop. Her family jokes that at times she seemed to have more clothes hanging in her closet with the tags still attached than some stores had on their racks.

Furniture wasn't safe either.

Janice could decide without warning that a room needed to be completely rearranged, which meant Brandy and Angie became experienced furniture movers at a very young age. Tishia, being the youngest of the siblings…did not learn the skill of furniture moving as her big sisters did, and that was quite alright by Janice! George learned this lesson particularly well after returning home from working a late-night shift and attempting, in the dark, to sit where the couch had been when he left for work. While he was gone, Janice had rearranged the living room without mentioning it to him. You can imagine where he landed…on the floor!

That was Janice. When she decided something needed changing, there wasn't much reason to wait.

She loved rose bushes, potted plants, beautiful flowers, shopping, her home and knowing what everyone in the family was doing. She didn't need a large circle of friends because her family was her circle. They were where she invested her time, her energy and her love.

Janice was raised in the Lutheran faith, and later in life was baptized in the Baptist church. Although she had not regularly attended church in recent years, her faith remained strong and was a source of comfort throughout her life and particularly toward its end.

Janice was preceded in death by her beloved son, George Delmer "Bo" McFarland II; her parents, Monroe and Gladys Lehrmann; and her brothers, George Lehrmann and Richard Lehrmann.

She is survived by her husband of more than 53 years, George David McFarland; daughters Brandy McFarland, Angie McFarland and partner Darren Scribner, and Tishia Morris and husband John Morris; her siblings Patricia Walts, Mike Lehrmann, Benjamin

Lehrmann, Donald Lehrmann, and Darrell Lehrmann; and a large and deeply loved extended family.

Her grandchildren are Linzey Engelhardt (husband Ryan Engelhardt), Cameron Heidemann (partner Krista Morgan), Lexington Woolbright (husband Thomas Woolbright), Sydney Heidemann (partner Thomas Pierce), Zachary Unger, Harrison Morris, Vivienne Delillo, Benjamin Morris.

Her great-grandchildren are Harper Baer, Sutton Louise Woolbright, and Wolf Engelhardt, Thomas Woolbright II, Faith Woolbright, Aisley Morris.

The family would like to extend its heartfelt appreciation to the team at AccentCare Hospice for the compassion, guidance and care they provided Janice and her family during the final month of her life.

A Celebration of Life honoring Janice will be held at Prairie Hill Baptist Church on Saturday August 29th at 11am with a lunch immediately following at Prairie Hill Community Center.

Following cremation, Janice will be laid to rest during a private family graveside service at Prairie Hill Cemetery, beside her son Bo.

Janice loved flowers, and those wishing to honor her are warmly invited to fill her Celebration of Life with them.

Her family will remember many things about Janice: her work ethic, her candor, her curiosity, the shopping bags, the furniture that never stayed in one place for very long, the family gatherings she refused to let fade away, and the way she simply took care of people.

Above all, they will remember that for Janice, family was home.