Janice "Jan" Irene Tovar

Jan I. Tovar, age 76, died on May 25, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born on July 13, 1949, in Winfield, Kansas, to Janet Mae Gold and husband.

She is survived by her daughter Jacque Tovar, her nephew and his wife, Mikey and Yasmine Palmer, Elisabeth Shippey, and her loving family of choice: the Susugas, Selita and Moors, and their children (Conley, Leialoha, Simi, Baby Lita, Myrna, Teancum, and Addy), Manuel and Bethany Gomez and their son (Landen), Maddie Gomez and Eric Gonzalez, and their children (Preston, Kaiya, Bella, and Smoochie), Ashlee and Bobby Mullender, Ashton Nelson, Lacy Nelson, and Travis Robinett, and beloved family friends Wendy Miller, Jennifer Quintana, and Emma Gonzalez.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Janet, and her beloved sister Patty Jo.

As a child, she lived throughout the Great Plains, sometimes moving three to four times a year. She found great solace in swimming, softball, and her cherished cat Pitty-Pat. She was a high school champion diver and played in a women’s fast-pitch softball league at the age of thirteen. Losing her own mother at nineteen had a profound effect on her. She invested her whole heart into raising her daughter. She was a single parent who succeeded in making an exceptional life for the two of them. She made sure her daughter understood that true living comes from loving and caring for those around her. She dreamed of life beneath the blue skies of Montana and visited as much as she could. To her chosen family, whom she loved unconditionally, she was affectionately known and loved as “Mo” and “Grandma Mo.” She adored her furry family, Shotgun Willie, Ruthie, and Baby Mama. She was a die-hard Chiefs fan whose lifelong devotion was rewarded with a Super Bowl victory after 60 years of waiting. She was an avid fan of Alabama softball, Roll Tide Roll! She was a dedicated contributor to Yellowstone Forever and the Utah Humane Society. She celebrated the tradition of May Day, delighting in the arrival of spring, and joyfully passed on that deep appreciation to everyone she loved.

Remember, a life well lived is all about how we love and take care of each other.