Janis Stehlik-Barry

On April 5, 2026, we lost our beautiful, loving, thoughtful, caring, kindhearted, generous and intelligent Janis. Since meeting as graduate students at UIC, she has been the love of her husband Ken’s life. Janis grew up in Brookfield and attended Hollywood School, Hauser Junior High and RBHS before enrolling at UIC where she earned her BA in Anthropology. Janis did graduate work in anthropology at UIC and the University of Chicago. She continued to value and pursue education throughout her life, recently earning a certificate in museum curation from the University of Chicago.

After her parents, Alois (who went by Louis) and Marion Stehlik (née Wesley), passed away, she returned to her Hollywood home, where she and Ken raised three daughters: Cassiopeia, Leila and Thea. They followed the same educational path as their mother from Hollywood School through RBHS. Last August, Janis was happy to see her oldest grandchild, Orion, continue the tradition by starting Hollywood School.

She was an anthropologist, editor, teacher, librarian and advocate. Jan had a career that included work at the Institute for Juvenile Research and American Bar Foundation, and taught at Triton College, Brookfield Zoo and Brookfield Library. She cared deeply about human and animal rights and social and environmental justice. Jan loved volunteering to bring art, dance and theater to our schools and community.

She kept a membership at the Art Institute of Chicago, where her mother and great- grandfather had been students. Jan always made time to visit museums large and small in Amsterdam, Athens, Boston, Honolulu, Mexico City, New Orleans, New York, Paris, Prague, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Vienna, Washington, D.C. and many other locations.

While Jan advocated for the welfare of people near and far, especially children, she was also passionate about supporting groups that advocated for the ethical treatment of animals, both wild and domestic.

She was also truly conscientious, gracious, patient and humorous. She loved to look at beautiful trees, birds, squirrels and deer. Janis would decorate for the holidays, savor sunsets, laugh, identify a plant or tree, sing, joke, dance in the kitchen and tell her children about their ancestors. She even taught them to look up at the sky while walking so they would not miss a pretty cloud or lovely sunbeam.

Perhaps you can savor some little thing that brings you and your loved ones joy after you read this. Hopefully Jan inspires you, as she inspires us.

Janis is survived by her husband Ken, her daughters Cassiopeia (Charles Stehlikbarry-Gjondla), Leila (Corey Williams), and Thea (Brandon Gonia) as well as her grandsons Orion, Apollo and Atlas (all Stehlikbarry-Gjondlas) and her granddaughter Kara Gonia.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to groups whose missions reflect Jan’s commitment to promoting human and animal rights: the ASPCA, Cat Nap from the Heart, Save the Children and UNICEF.