Janet (Kiehl) Schrock

WINTHROP – Janet (Kiehl) Schrock, 88, of Winthrop, passed away at Maine Medical Center on May 4, 2024, after a brief illness. Her loving daughter was by her side.

She was born in Punxsutawney, Pa., on Sept. 5, 1935, the first child of Gene and Hazel (Stahlman) Kiehl. She was the granddaughter of Grover and Edith Stahlman of Worthville, Pa.

Jan grew up in a small hamlet outside of Punxsy with her two sisters, Marilyn and Garnet. She went to school in a one room schoolhouse, until attending high school and graduating from Punxsutawney High School. She fondly talked of her grandparent’s dairy farm, and life on the farm in general. Her first paying job was at the country store, which included a small post office. After high school, she worked at the Sylvania factory, saving enough money for her first car … a pink Cadillac.

And then she met her future husband. They hold fast in saying the pink Cadillac had nothing to do with it. After 65 years of marriage, I would say they were right. Jan married the love of her life, Donald (Kerm) Schrock, on Oct. 18, 1958. They began their life together in North Tonawanda, NY, where her husband was employed. They had two children, a son Don Jr. and a daughter, Teri Jean. She adored them both, even when they weren’t so adorable, and was immensely proud of who they both became. In 1976, there was a work-related move to Jay, ME. Upon her husband’s retirement in 1990, they settled in a home on Maranacook Lake in Winthrop, where they thoroughly enjoyed the next 30 years. Many summer evenings they gathered dinner and cruised the lake in their pontoon boat.

Family time was her favorite time. Jan loved to travel and was a long time camper. She delighted in planning and preparing for the trip as much as the trip itself. She and her family traveled extensively throughout the US and Canada, with numerous trips back to her roots. Family gatherings brought out a true passion … her camera! What a gift she gave all of us … the gift of family history and memories.

Jan was a fabulous cook and baker, and her kitchen was her playground. From large holiday festivities to peeling potatoes for dinner, every task was done with a smile. Old Pennsylvania Dutch recipes, learned from her grandmother, made the taste buds feel like a little slice of heaven. Her husband enjoyed her delicious pies. She had a large collection of cookbooks, many dog-eared and scribbled with notes. She always loved passing on her skills and treasure box of recipes … another gift.

Never idle, you could find Jan outdoors tending to her garden or flowers. While indoors, she enjoyed sewing, knitting, ceramics, needlepoint, flower arrangements … all done meticulously and beautiful. She was knitting to her final days, saying it kept her hands feeling good.

She lived life to the fullest, enjoying the small simply moments probably more than the grand ones. Jan is survived by her loving daughter, Teri Schrock of Topsham. She is also survived by four special nieces, Shawn, Debbie, Dawn, and Kelly, whom she loved very much.

Jan was predeceased by her husband who passed just six short months ago, and her son, Donald Schrock, formerly of Jay; her parents of Punxsutawney, Pa.; her sister and brother-in-law, Marilyn and Robert Couch of Indiana, Pa., her youngest sister, Garnet McConnaughey of Ransomville, NY.

At Jan’s request there will be no service. Simply remember her while enjoying a cup of tea with a teaspoon of sugar … try a new recipe, learn to knit or take a picture of someone you love.

Jan will take one last trip with her husband to Pennsylvania this spring for burial together at the Worthville Cemetery in Worthville, Pa.

Dear Mom and Dad … it’s time to sit by the lake, watch the water go by and feel the breeze on your face, and have a well deserved rest.

Arrangements are in the care of the Stetsons Funeral Home, 12 Federal Street, Brunswick, Maine where condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the funeral home website http://www.stetsonsfuneralhome.com.