She was born on May 23, 1947, to Duane and Mavis (Miller) Hockensmith of Terre Haute, Indiana. She grew up in Union City and lived there until she attended Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. She continued to live in Bourbonnais until her death. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Greg Hockensmith. Her sister Jane (Jeff) Hockensmith-Reich survives. Jan’s beloved dog, Katie, survives. Jan married George Laun in 2014 and he survives. She is also survived by his children Paula (Brent) Johnson, Wendy (Jeremy) Goodrum, and David (April) Laun; 6 step-grandchildren, and 2 step-great grandchildren.
Jan graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 1974 and began her career as a social worker at the Kankakee County Training Center for the Disabled in Kankakee, where she worked from 1974 -1977. She received a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Illinois in 1982. An additional degree of Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling was earned in 1996 from The University of Illinois. She worked as the Director of Medical Social Work at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee for 16 years and then was employed as Associate Professor of Social Work at Olivet Nazarene University until her retirement in 2013. In her tenure as a professor, Jan was instrumental in the securing of accreditation for the Social Work program at the university from the Council on Social Work Education.
Jan received many awards during her life, and a few are listed here: NASW Calumet District Social Worker of the year 2000; Harbor House Amethyst Award in Recognition of Ending Domestic Violence 2005; Social Work Professor of the year 2009 (awarded by social work students); and the NASW Illinois East Central District, Lifetime Achievement Award 2010.
One of Jan’s major interests was in missions. From 1996 – 2013, she had taken over 230 university students to Sighisoara, Romania, in connection with Romanian Studies, a course she developed at Olivet Nazarene University. She remained committed to missions and continued to travel yearly to Romania after retirement. As an active member of the Missions Council at College Church of the Nazarene, she participated in multiple Work and Witness mission trips to Mexico, Greece, and England as well as volunteering for multiple areas of need in the Kankakee community and in her church. She was a member of College Church of the Nazarene for 41 years.
Jan was a loyal friend to many people. In fact, many people would say that she was the friend that they could always count on. Jan loved to cook and entertain people in her home and on her back deck. One of her favorite activities was shopping, even if she didn’t buy anything. She had excellent taste in decorating her home and in choosing clothes to wear. People often called her “a classy lady.” She will be greatly missed by many, many people.
There will be a visitation at College Church of the Nazarene, 200 University Avenue, in Bourbonnais from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Friday, October 13, 2023. The funeral service will begin at 6:00 PM. Burial will be on Saturday, October 14, 2023, in Union City, Indiana. Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home of Bourbonnais is in charge of services.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to College Church of the Nazarene University Avenue for delivery to Veritas of Romania.
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