From immigrant roots to community leader: Joe Janes' 100-year journey of resilience and success

Joe Janes will be 100 years old Tuesday, but he’ll begin his celebration from 1-2 p.m. Sunday at the Qulin Lions Club dinner.

Fish is Janes favorite food and he makes certain its on the menu for his birthday weekend. His son Bob Janes said his dad gets to see and shake hands with everyone at the dinner.

Janes’ zeal for life and being headstrong are characteristics familiar to his family. He was a businessman, a community leader and a devoted family man, who stressed being involved, his family said.

Bob Janes assisted in interviewing his dad since Joe Janes’ hearing is not as good as it once was.

The younger Janes described plans to celebrate his 100th birthday has Joe Janes “as proud as a peacock just like he was when he met former President Jimmy Carter.” As a lifelong Democrat, Janes was proud of President Carter inviting him to participate in a small business committee hearing in Washington D.C.

The elder Janes and President Carter were the same age. The elder Janes recalled Carter was a peanut farmer.

When asked what he wanted to share about his life, Janes said, in the “100 years I’ve been on this earth there has been so many I cannot recollect. We went through the Depression and had good times,” but he chimed in “I have lots to say about Jimmy Carter.”

Janes was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Croatian immigrants. His father was the head machinist for the White Motor Company and friends with the company owners. His mother had traveled to the United States with an aunt. She worked as a domestic in the motor company owners’ home. The couple met when Janes’ father was invited to dinner.

After they married, the elder Janes’ father watched as soup lines were formed to feed the hungry. He decided to move to a farming community where he could raise food for his family. He learned of a Croatian community in Harviell. Once he arrived, he sent for his wife to bring their child and possessions and travel to their new home. She didn’t speak English. The family first lived on a farm in the Harviell area before moving to Neelyville.

The elder Janes recalls, when he started attending the one room New Hope School, he had to learn English since his first language was Croatian. Janes had asthma, which made farming difficult.

He and his first wife Sarah ran her parents’ drug store in Qulin, which they later purchased. They also bought a gas station on Highway 53, a fertilizer plant and farm land. He and his brother had a sawmill named Thick and Thin Sawmill.

While Janes proved to be a successful businessman, his dream always was to farm, and when his asthma improved, he did farm, his son said.

Janes enjoyed using his business skills. While he ran the drug store, he’d also buy and sell vehicles. He took a truck and molasses in trade for a car. He tasted the molasses and knew it had a good flavor. When the first-class salesman offered customers samples, it didn’t take long before he had sold it all. Folks continued to come in wanting to buy more. Another time, he sold the canvass shoes he was wearing because they were the only pair in the size a customer needed.

Janes was elected to the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative board and was instrumental in the cooperative headquarters being in its present location, the family shared. He was appointed by the Butler County Commission to the sheltered workshop Board. He was a member of the Qulin Nutrition Board and was a Woodman of the World.

He was married twice and outlived both of his wives. His second wife was Cora.

Of Janes and first wife Sarah’s four sons, Bob and Ronald Edward Janes survive. Janes has nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and seven step-great-grandchildren.

Bingo is one of his favorite things to do at New Hope Assisted Living Center where he’s lived since May, 2024. When he wins, he’ll take socks for his prize. He is stockpiling them to give to his great-grandchildren.