Janice Kay (Hoefs) Kilber, age 85, of Wahpeton, ND, passed away on January 15, 2026, in the care of her family and CHI Hospice at Twin Town Villa. A funeral service will be held to honor her life on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 11:00 am at Bethel Lutheran Church in Wahpeton, North Dakota, with visitation starting at 10:00 am. Pastor Amy Eisenmann will officiate. Interment at Fairview Cemetery in Wahpeton will be held in the spring.
Janice was born on October 9, 1940, in Fairmount, ND, to Harold and Adeline (Gelle) Hoefs. Janice grew up with her three brothers in Fairmount and graduated from high school in 1958. She attended what was then called the North Dakota State School of Science and began working as a teller at the Wahpeton National Bank, spending her entire career there and eventually retiring as a personal banker when it was Community First Bank. She loved working with people and took great care to remember personal details of her clients at the bank, even memorizing their account numbers in case they came in without them.
Janice first met her future husband at the bank. After she told him she couldn’t go out with him because she had just washed her hair and didn’t have a hair dryer, he bought her a fancy one, and as they say, the rest is history. She married Arlo Kilber of Roscoe, SD, on August 22, 1965; they had two daughters and just celebrated 60 years together this past summer. Their two grandchildren became one of her greatest joys, and she treasured every laugh, hug, and memory with them. Janny Kay, as she was known to those close to her, made life-long friendships and focused on caring for her family. Her mother dying when she was only nine years old shaped her very attentive, caring approach to motherhood. To keep her family close, she and Arlo welcomed her father and maternal grandmother into their home for over 20 years.
Janice was a member of Bethel Lutheran Church in Wahpeton, singing in the church choir for many years. She was an avid bowler, spending over 40 years with the same team at Terrace Lanes. She treasured her friendship with her teammates, enjoyed their bowling trips, and was proud of her 300 pin. Her brothers and husband turned her into an avid baseball fan who followed the Twins.
In retirement, Janice and Arlo spent time at their lake home on Otter Tail Lake and traveled the US, spending much of their time in Phoenix and San Diego with their children and grandchildren. Janice was a kind and thoughtful woman with a warm smile and infectious laugh who made life fun. As her daughters say, if everyone had a mother like ours, the world would be a better place. She will be greatly missed.
Janice is survived by her husband, Arlo Kilber, daughter Tracy, daughter and son-in-law Kerry and Carl Rebman, two grandchildren, Jackson and Savannah Rebman, two brothers and sisters-in-law, David and Maxine Hoefs and Dennis and Sharon Hoefs, and in-laws Ramona Voegele, Jean Voegele, Bob and Berneice Kilber, Donna and Marv Schreck, Delbert and Melanie Kilber, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Adeline Hoefs, her grandparents, John and Lillie Gelle, and George and Mary Hoefs, her brother Eugene Hoefs and his wife, Lois Hoefs, her in-laws Lester and Lenora Kilber, Calvin and Ardella Kilber, Donald Voegele, and Bert Voegele, and her nephews Corey Hoefs and Randel Hoefs.
