Beth Ellen Jankovsky

Beth Ellen Wells Jankovsky passed away peacefully on June 11th in Plano, Texas.

Beth was born in Pontiac, Michigan to Garland Wells and Ora Moore Wells.  She was the seventh child in a family of nine children.  Beth described her childhood as full of love, laughter, music, and faith.

After graduating from high school in Clarkston, Michigan, Beth got a job as a waitress at a cafe in town.  It was there that she met her future husband, Paul Jankovsky.  Paul was a handsome college student, and according to Beth’s mother, quite a catch.  After a brief courtship, Paul and Beth got married.  They honeymooned in Niagara Falls, and then settled down to married life.

Ten months after Beth and Paul married, they welcomed their first child, Paul Jankovsky, Jr.  Life was very busy for the young couple.  Beth was caring for their infant son while Paul was finishing his education at General Motors Institute.  After Paul graduated with a bachelor’s degree from GMI, the couple welcomed their second child, Julie Ann.

Beth had many friends from her high school and her early married years that remained close friends throughout her life.  The ladies had raucous “pajama parties” where they would get together and catch up with each other’s lives.  This tight knit group loved to laugh, sing, laugh, cook, laugh, gossip about old boyfriends…did I mention they loved laughing together?  These friends continued to have pajama parties throughout their lives.

Now back to Beth and Paul…Paul’s career took his family to Pasadena, California, Phoenix, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, and Houston, Texas.  While in Houston, Beth began a career as a legal Secretary.  She took great pride in typing 105 words a minute with no mistakes.  Her colleagues admired her kindness, sense of humor, and the baked treats she brought in.  Beth loved cooking and baking for her family and friends.  Her specialties were beef stroganoff and German chocolate cake.  She also enjoyed socializing with her church friends, as well as singing in the church choir.  Beth also loved crossword puzzles and reading mystery novels.  At home, Beth doted on her children.  Paul and Julie remember their mom as a warm, loving, and kindhearted parent.  They have wonderful memories of all the fun activities they would do together with their mom.

Throughout Beth’s life, she would attend regular family reunions with her large Wells clan.  She loved her mother and daddy dearly, as well as all her siblings.  She was especially close to her sister, Bonnie.  There was always an abundance of love, food, singing, and laughter.  These reunions were always loud and boisterous.  Beth enjoyed taking her children along to experience how her growing up years were like.  They loved all the chaos and hanging out with their cousins.

After the children left home, Beth and Paul moved to Austin, Texas for a few years, then moved on to Las Colinas, a suburb of Dallas.  They enjoyed their life there, especially one on one time with their first grandchild, Seth.  They loved taking him to Water World, Six Flags, and baseball games.  Seth remembers those years among his best childhood memories.

Later, Beth and Paul moved to Lakewood, Colorado to be closer to their daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons.  They loved attending their grandsons’ sporting events, and Beth was especially involved in their school events, too.  She worked the after-prom parties and football dinners.  Beth also enjoyed attending live theater performances with her younger grandson, Scott.  She got a kick out of Scott’s quirky humor and his sweet personality. Beth truly loved being involved in their lives.  As Paul Sr. was born and raised in Colorado, they also enjoyed all the big family holiday parties with the Jankovsky side of the family.  Everyone adored Beth for her kind heart and sense of humor.  Her nickname by her brother-in-law, Lynn, was Big Giant.  That nickname stuck for 60 years!

Later in life, Beth and Paul decided to retire in Sedona, Arizona.  They were awestruck by the beauty of the majestic landscape.  Beth and Paul took advantage of all the hiking trails in Sedona.  They also became prolific travelers, visiting places all over the world.  Back home, Beth and Paul enjoyed spending time with their children and grandchildren. They were thrilled to add a precious granddaughter, Jacqueline, to the family.  Years later they added four great grandchildren to the mix.

Sadly, Beth lost the love of her life when Paul passed away from cancer in 2017.  She later relocated to Plano, Texas to be closer to her son, Paul Jr.  She remained in Plano until the end of her life.

Beth is survived by her son, Paul Jankovsky, Jr., her daughter, Julie (Rick) McCauley, her grandsons, Seth (Lipika) McCauley and Scott (Jennifer) McCauley, her granddaughter, Jacqueline Jankovsky, her great grandchildren Sean McCauley, Lucas McCauley, Logan McCauley, and Peyton McCauley.  Beth is also survived by her sister, Bonnie Hartzman, her brother-in-law, Lynn (Sally) Jankovsky, her sister-in-law, Mollie Jankovsky, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A funeral service for Beth will be held at Prestonwood Baptist Church in the chapel on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.  She will then be laid to rest next to her husband, Paul, Sr. in Sedona, Arizona.