Good evening everyone,

Today we woke up to the first day of our life without Mom. It was a tough day, and my Dad, brothers, and I were unprepared to make these decisions and arrangements. The bright side of today was going through old albums/photos and reliving many memories. Tonight, I was encouraged when we'd hear laughter when Sarah or Andrea uncovered a funny picture or memory. The laughs are short-lived and enjoyed, and momentarily numb the pain we all feel.

Below is an advance copy of Mom's obituary:

Jan Marie Barcz, 66, of Central City, went to be with our Lord on Friday, October 2nd, 2020, surrounded by her loving family in the care of Mercy Medical Center. We will hold services at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6th, at Calvary Community Church, 327 35th St NE, Cedar Rapids, where a visitation will be held on Monday the evening prior from 4-7 p.m. Her burial and final resting place will be at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. For those unable to attend in person, you may live stream the memorial service at https://www.calvarycedarrapids.com/livestream/. 

Survivors include her husband of 46 loving years, Jim Barcz, her sons; Scott (Andrea) Barcz of Odessa, Florida, David Barcz of St. Louis, Missouri, and Tim (Sarah) Barcz of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, her siblings; Jon (Debbie) Konings of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Kris (Tom) Szudajski of Tucson, Arizona, her grandchildren; Kaitlyn, Alyssa, Lincoln, Evelyn, Cora, Rylee, Avery, Ainsley, and Ada. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ivan and Jane Konings, and a brother, Lee Konings.

Jan was born November 21st, 1953, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Ivan and Jane (House) Konings. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she met Jim and started her family with him. She graduated from Bay View High School (Milwaukee, WI) and the University of Wisconsin Stout (Menomonie, WI) and retired from Rockwell Collins in 2015. She was a devout Christian with tremendous faith and an active member of Calvary Community Church. Her hobbies included crocheting, cooking/baking, watching the wildlife from her country home, and spending time with her nine grandchildren. 

Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

In memory of Jan, memorials may be made to Enduring Word Radio, a non-profit wholly dedicated to providing the Cedar Rapids community with simple to understand yet deeply profound Bible teachings. Please leave a message for the family on our website www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.