Janice Smith

The Life and Times of Janice Marie Antoinette Bruski Polanchek Smith

Janice was born on September 6, 1941, in Beach, ND, to Casimer and Helen Bruski. She lived on the family farm until she started first grade at the country school in St. Philip, MT. She later attended schools in Wibaux and Liberty. From eighth grade through high school, she was in Wibaux, MT graduating valedictorian from Wibaux County High School in 1959. The summer of 1959 was spent living in Wibaux working at Agricultural, Soil and Conservation Service (ASCS), and at the Marcus Drug Store, to help pay for the airline school she planned to attend. In September she and a good friend moved to Minneapolis, MN to attend the Humboldt Institute focusing on learning the groundwork to gain employment with an airline. Graduation was in December of the same year. However, she never pursued an airline job, but the training gave her the lifetime skill of a fast and accurate typist.

She moved back to Wibaux, started dating a man named Robert Polanchek, and went to work for the Marcus Drug Store again to earn money to attend Dickinson State College, which she did in the spring of 1960. She and Robert were married on August 27, 1960. While there, she worked as a receptionist at the Ford Garage in Dickinson and Belfield, ND. Her first daughter, Carole Anne Polanchek, was born on November 22, 1961, in Missoula, MT. By December 7, 1963, she divorced Robert and moved on with her life. She and Carole moved to Glendive, MT where she worked for Vern Paulson, an accountant and insurance agent. During this time, she was able to learn the skills of accounts receivable and tax preparation, which gave her the opportunity to work as an accountant off and on from 1963 to 1997.

A few years later she moved to Billings to finish her education, where she started dating a gentleman named David “Bud” Ray Smith. She graduated from Eastern Montana College with high honors in June of 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in special education and a minor in elementary education.

Bud and Janice were married by the justice of the peace in Cody, WY on May 22, 1970, and later had the marriage blessed by the catholic church when Bud converted to Catholicism. They were both very dedicated to the church and did several activities, volunteer work and prayer groups daily.

They had their first child together on September 11, 1970 and named him David Casimer Raymond Smith. A daughter, Elizabeth Helen Smith, was born on January 31, 1974. During this time Janice worked as an instructional aide at Rimrock Elementary School, Poly Drive School, and Garfield Elementary School. Janice pursued this career of teaching and coordinating CCD at a few different schools from 1977 until 1982.

As Jan and Bud's life continued together, they enjoyed their kids along with dancing, camping, hiking and walking together, boating, traveling, family get-togethers, church activities, card games, and board games. Janice loved to water ski, sew, quilt, make rosaries, bowl, play tennis, paint and draw, garden, and always help family or friends wherever needed.

Janice is proceeded in death by her brothers and their wives, Leonard and Maisie Bruski, Lawrence and Pat Bruski, and Marvin Bruski; several in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles on both the Bruski and Smith sides of the family.

Surviving relatives include both her daughters, Carole Anne Polanchek and Elizabeth (David) Helen Brock; her son, David (Julie) Casimer Raymond Smith; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; sisters, Pauline White and Marguerite Sommerfeld; and several nieces and nephews on both the Smith and Bruski side of the family.