Janice Ahlborn

Janice Craft Ahlborn Brown was born December 5th, 1950, in St Ignatius, Montana to Mary Elizabeth Charlo Craft and James Arthur Craft Sr. Janice was the granddaughter of Chief Antoine Charlo and Mary Mitchell Charlo with her extended families including the Morans, Plants, Morigeaus, many Charlo families, and the Sorrells. Janice was surrounded by family as she passed away peacefully on September 18th, 2024, in Missoula, Montana.  

Janice was raised in Evaro and attended school with her brother in Frenchtown, where she graduated from high school. She then moved to Missoula where she attended the University of Montana and could often be seen in a University of Montana t-shirt in the 1970s. Janice loved children and enjoyed a long career as a teacher at Missoula Head Start. Whenever Janice made moves in life, she was surrounded by family and typically accompanied by her close cousins who were more like sisters to her. 

Janice was a dependable and loving mother, wife, and grandmother to her daughters, husband, and grandchildren. She was considered a “second mom” or non-biological mother to many babies, children, hopeless young people, cousins, and friends of her children and grandchildren. Known as “Auntie” to many, Janice was known as a non-judgmental adult to offer kind words, a meal, a bed, or even her last few bucks if you needed them. 

Janice’s love language was laughter and humor. If she had a nickname or a running joke about you this meant she was fond of you. She could make anyone laugh in the most serious situations and had the unique talent to find absurdity and humor in anything. Her infectious laugh will be deeply missed. Janice enjoyed scary movies and scaring people with scary movies, vampires, witches, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs football, Pepsi and Mountain Dew, shopping with her girls, powwows and visiting relatives, collecting turtle figurines, listening to Elvis, Bocephus, Waylon, classic and current country music. “She didn’t like camping but did it anyway,” and she “loved to get married” (the family laughs), Janice was married five times but most happily and joyfully to Leonard. 

Auntie Janice is survived by her dedicated best friend and husband Leonard Brown; her brother Brian Kipp; her daughters Tiffaney Randles (Missoula), Sierra Shortman (Missoula), and Miranda Sorrell (Spokane); her grandchildren Morgan and September Randles and Carlyn, Miles, and Jasper Horn; her great-grandchildren Lilliana and Damon; and so many nieces, nephews, cousins, and children who considered Janice a Mom or Auntie.  

Janice is preceded in death by her Grandma and Grandpa Antoine and Mary Charlo, Mom and Dad Pat and Betsy Craft, brother James Craft, daughter Candy Craft, husband Art Shepard, husband Tim LameWoman, and husband Daryl Shortman. 

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