Dr. Janet Fauks

It was barely a year ago that Janet's "bucket list ride" on a handsome Morgan horse named Stretch went viral on the internet. We all know that Janet is right back up there on him today (Stretch crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few months ago)…both of them joyful, spry and full of spit and vinegar!Dr. Janet Trowe Fauks passed away gracefully in her home out on High 5 Farms in Edmond, Oklahoma on March 17, 2020. She spent her last few weeks at home surrounded by loving family and friends. Janet definitely warned the family about embellishing the facts in her obituary. But she also insisted that instead of telling folks that she "died peacefully in her sleep" we should proclaim that she was "kicked in the head by a donkey." If you know Janet, this makes perfect sense! Janet is survived by her son and horse-riding partner, William (Steve) Fauks and his wife and Janet's BFF, Caroline; her loving son, Dr. Michael P. Fauks; and her granddaughter and "flying partner", Lensey Fauks. Janet is preceded in death by her husband of 73 years, Dr. Bill Fauks; her parents, Herman and Grace Trowe; and her siblings, Betty Sutton, Nancy Harrell, Jeanne Sandison, and Robert Trowe. Janet was born in Casper, Wyoming on January 16, 1922, and her love of Wyoming never dimmed. She was the first woman to be admitted to, and graduate from, the Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine, becoming Dr. Janet Fauks in 1944. She was a trail-blazer in veterinary medicine and loved telling stories about her experiences and efforts for women vets. Janet was fondly known as "the pig lady" because her hands were small enough to palpate a mama pig!Janet was a lifelong learner and enjoyed a diverse range of hobbies. She was a teacher, a painter, a sculptor, a maker of wooden toys. She played the organ, guitar and violin. She and her sister loved scuba diving and traveling. She once took apart and reassembled a car engine!Drs. Bill and Janet Fauks opened City Animal Hospital near 23rd and May Ave in 1947. Janet loved animals. After decades in practice, she spent the next 30 + years at her High 5 Farms and Summerfield Farms helping Steve and Caroline care for a long string of retired horses in their "equine assisted living center." Her three donkeys have been the apples of her eye for the past few years. They are sure going to miss singing to her as she cruised out to visit them in her bright yellow golf cart. The Fauks family thanks everyone who shared the gift of time, memories, meals and love with Janet in her last days. She treasured each and every moment, laugh and tear. The family also wants to express heart-felt appreciation to those who helped care for Janet…Nancy, Janetta, Carolyn, Michaella, Lindsey and especially Brittany Childs, who grew to love Janet very quickly and with whom we have forged a life-long bond.A celebration of Janet's life will be held at a later date. Details will be available from the family or from Smith & Kernke Funeral Home. Janet requested that donations to either Integris Hospice, Inc. or Free to Live Animal Sanctuary be made in lieu of flowers. Please feel welcome to share stories, memories, and anecdotes of and about Janet—these will bring great joy, lots of smiles, and peace to her family. You may email summerfld@aol.com, mail to 8601 NW 206th St, Edmond, OK 73012, or share online at Forever Missed.com.