Rawhide Boys Ranch, founded by John and Jan Gillespie in 1965, was informed that Jan has passed away at their home with John by her side on Wednesday January 25, 2017.  Jan Gillespie was 82 years old and married to her husband and best friend John for 59 years.

The entire family is comforted knowing she is in the arms of her beloved savior Jesus, having accumulated such a great reward through a life completely given to serving Rawhide youth, her family, and others.

Remembering the life of Jan Gillespie

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Janice (Krull) Gillespie met John Gillespie in the fall of 1941 in grade school. John was a grade younger, and Jan had no idea the impact a simple seating arrangement would make.

Little did I know the second-grade guy assigned a seat behind me would play a significant role in my life for the next 70 years. His name was John Gillespie and we instantly became best friends.

This verse laid the foundation for 59 years of marriage and the founding of Rawhide Boys Ranch.

How Jan Gillespie helped start our mission

Over 50 years ago, a 13-year-old boy approached the Gillespie’s at their church and told them about the struggles he was facing at home. He asked to spend the afternoon with them; they were more than happy to welcome him into their home. That afternoon turned into a week, which turned into a month, and 2 years later John and Jan were still overjoyed to have this boy as a part of their family. From then on, John and Jan Gillespie felt called to open their home to more at-risk youth. However, they needed a bigger facility to accommodate additional young men and they needed partners.

Jan was instrumental in securing Bart Starr’s support by encouraging John to cold call him. John was hesitant, but Jan, always an optimist, told him, “How do you know if you don’t try?”

Jan left a lasting legacy

Jan Gillespie was a housemother to over 350 boys together with her husband John as house-father for over 27 years at Rawhide. She was instrumental in providing care and direction to teens in need of the unconditional love that she provided to them. Jan would frequently say about the boys at Rawhide she parented, “they’re like your children and even though they weren’t born into your family, you treat them like your children and you love them unconditionally.” She remained active with Rawhide even after retirement. She attended many fish fry’s over the past dozen years at Rawhide and loved spending time with Rawhide guys, young and old, whenever she could.

Jan Gillespie was an avid horsewoman who utilized her love for horseback riding to work with young men residing at Rawhide.  In the early days of Rawhide she would pair up a youth with a horse and give him the responsibility to care for the horse.  Youth would then learn to ride and could saddle up a horse and utilize area trails to ride the horses with staff.  Rawhide is unique in the field of residential care due to the family living model that is utilized. To this day, houseparent couples live in each of the seven youth homes at Rawhide and provide a family living structure while supervising and caring for boys aged 13 – 18 years of age. One youth in particular Dave Clause in 1972 was paired with Smokey and he credits that relationship with his horse and John and Jan Gillespie with redirecting his life.  In fact just two months ago Dave Claus wrote, recorded and released a music video entitled “I’m a Rawhide Guy” as a tribute to John and Jan Gillespie and the three years he was a resident at Rawhide. You may listen to the song below.

Please keep John Gillespie and his family in your prayers as they grieve the loss of Jan, and celebrate her life.

Funeral arrangements will include visitation from 9 – 11 am, memorial service at 11 am, and lunch following at 12 pm on Monday, January 30th at Appleton Alliance Church. The family has asked that those interested, in lieu of flowers, can support a memorial to Jan Gillespie that has been established at Rawhide Boys Ranch to support the building of a home on the grounds at Rawhide, contributions can be made online by clicking the button below,  or mailed to Rawhide, E7475 Rawhide Road, New London, WI 54961.