Janice Laybourn

December 16, 1942 - July 29, 2023

Richland, Washington - Janice Kay McGahey Laybourn was born on 12/16/1942 in Pasco, WA to parents William (Bill) H. McGahey and Beulah (Bea) M. Whittemore McGahey. She was the first born of two girls, the other, her amazing sister Susan L. McGahey Taylor. The family moved when she was 5 to Richland WA, so Bill could work at Hanford.

Janice grew up on Cottonwood, one of the original Cottonwood Cuties, and her life would take her full circle back to Cottonwood where she loved and lived until passing peacefully at her home on July 29th, 2023. She maintained her beautiful smile and wonderful sense of humor despite the ravages of ALS on her body and she was full of Nothing But Love till the end.

After graduating from Columbia High School in 1961, she married her junior high sweetheart and the love of her life for over 60 years, Dennis Laybourn, and began her family. Together they would quickly have three great children in rapid succession, apparently not realizing what was causing that to happen. Darren Laybourn, Tamara Laybourn Carswell, and Karina Laybourn Thorne, all born in Richland, WA and all graduated from Pasco High. Her honorary daughter Sharell McGeorge would come into her life later but was no less special to Janice.

She worked educating children in the Captain Gray Elementary Reading Room, and she helped scientists protect their work at the Batelle patent office. Wherever she worked, and wherever she went, she would always quickly forge lifelong friendships.

She loved everyone in her life deeply and treated everyone she met with love and respect.

She gave her children the incredible gift of an unreasonable amount of confidence which has served them all very well.

She loved to make the world a better, more beautiful place, starting with her amazing garden.

She loved her dogs: Tonto, Sarah, Lightning, Barney, Cinnamon, Star, Frosty, Bootsie and all her other animals.

She LOVED baseball, and she loved the MARINERS, cheering them to a 5-2 win the night before she passed.

She will be deeply missed by her many, many, many friends, her eight grandchildren (Josh Vandecar, Jennifer Vandecar, Spencer Fisher, Caitlin Laybourn, Sara Carswell, Cramer Laybourn, Brooklyn Fisher, and Payton Laybourn), her seven great grandchildren (Olivia Santoyo, Keira Vandecar, Mia Fisher, Declan Santoyo, Wilder Fisher, Celia Boulger, Irelyn Santoyo), and the rest of our family.

10:00 A.M. Thursday August 3rd a graveside service will be held at Riverview Heights Cemetery, 1200 S Olympia Street in Kennewick. It will be held outdoors where she loved being the most. Following, a celebration of her life, will be held at noon in her back yard at 353 Cottonwood Dr. in Richland WA.

As her granddaughter Payton wrote to Janice, and Janice would wish for all of you:

May everyday be filled with happiness and hummingbirds!