Janelle Norene Shumate

Janelle Norene Shumate (86) eldest of 7 children of Baylous and Bessie (Bigo) Shumate, passed away Sunday, October 4, 2026, after a brief hospital stay.
Janelle was born on February 3, 1940, in San Pedro, California. She graduated from Vallejo High School and attended Vallejo Jr. College.
Janelle was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1953 at the age of 13. Even as a young child she had a spirituality that impelled her to share the Bible’s truths that contain hope and a purpose for life. As a result, she worked part-time the majority of her life so she could spend her time sharing good news from the Bible with her neighbors.
Although Janelle never married, she found fulfillment in spending a great deal of time with her nephews, Jacob and Judah, and her niece, Katharine, viewing them as her children — to them she was their “Jiji.”
After her parents’ death in 2003, she became caregiver to her younger handicapped brother, Gary, whom she took great comfort in caring for until his death in 2022.
Over the years, Janelle traveled extensively overseas, she loved to sing and dance, and was very athletic.
She is survived by her brother, Rodney & wife Terri ; brother, John & wife Michelle ; brother, David & wife Peggy ; sister, Jodelle Bacher ; sister, Elaine Reut & husband Joseph ; nephews, Joshua and Isaac ; niece Elizabeth.
A memorial will be announced at a later date. Arrangements under the care and direction of Ozark Memorial Park Crematory, Neosho, Missouri.