Janelle Cater: A wife, mother, nurse and woman of faith, her family sang her into heaven

Janelle Cater was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, nurse, teacher, friend to all, and a resident of more than thirty different places. She passed away on January 2 at the age of 39, after an eight-year battle with stage IV triple-negative metastatic breast cancer. She fought bravely and faithfully and passed peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, who prayed and sang her into heaven.

Janelle is survived by her parents, Steve and Crystal Sconce; her husband, Jeffery Cater; her daughter, Katrin Cater; and her siblings: Heather, Nathanael, Andrew, Luke, Breeanna, Laura, Jedidiah, Hannah, and Meredith.

Crystal Janelle Cater was born on March 10, 1986, in Hemet, California, to Steve and Crystal Sconce. She spent many of her adolescent years with her family on the mission field in Papua New Guinea. She was a secondary mother to all her younger siblings and was her mother’s right hand girl. On June 14, 2008, Janelle married her beloved Jeffery Cater. They met at Frontier School of the Bible in La Grange, Wyoming. They traveled the world together for their first years of marriage and then enrolled in nursing school. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and became a registered nurse. She truly loved her career, worked at many hospitals, and later became a nurse instructor, pouring her compassion and knowledge into others.

For 18 years, Janelle was the center of her husband’s world. On October 10, 2016, they welcomed their beautiful daughter, Katrin, who quickly became the greatest joy of Janelle’s life, second only to her Savior. She was a selfless and devoted wife, and the best mommy, a hero to her daughter, Katrin, who truly loves everything her mother does.

Janelle lived with courage, generosity, laughter and an unwavering love for her family and for Christ. She was the most effervescent, vibrant, kind, caring, bubbly woman in the room, and she always had a mischievous gleam in her eyes for the next special moment or adventure. She had a profound love for nature and sought out beauty in all of creation. From the obvious sunsets and thunderstorms to the barely noticeable cricket in the grass or raindrops on a leaf, she never missed an opportunity to take it all in. She would literally stop and smell every rose and flower in her path!

Her legacy is one of deepest friendship, joy, faith and selfless love. Above all else, Janelle loved Jesus. Her family takes deep comfort in knowing she is now resting in His arms, free from pain and witnessing wonders far beyond anything this world could offer.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan, 17 at CrossFit Firefly, 511 S. School St., Ukiah. Her life leaves an incredible legacy that will be joyfully celebrated by all who knew and loved her.