Janet (Blake) Durnal Service Notice

Janet (Blake) Durnal, 81, of Mesa, Arizona passed away peacefully, November 12, 2021, at the Heritage Village in Mesa under hospice care.  The daughter of Herbert and Mildred (Kraus) Blake she was born on June 9, 1940  at Ottumwa, Iowa.

She grew up in Memphis and attended the Memphis schools and graduated from Gem City Business College on May 24, 1959, with a college degree in Administrative Assistant.

On January 22, 1960, she married Dwight Durnal and to this union two sons were born: Steve and David.

Over the years she worked in many different states and places. She worked in the banking business for 22 years, school systems for 6, in the real estate business 4 years, and 3 years for the State of Texas in the Motor Vehicle Division of the Department of Public Safety before retiring and moving to Mesa Arizona. She always said she never had a job she didn’t like.

She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in April of 1952 in the Memphis United Methodist Church. Over the years she spent many hours leading youth groups, teaching Sunday School classes, setting on the Board of Deacons in several churches throughout her lifetime. She was a faithful volunteer in many facets of her present church in Mesa and she spent the last year of her life volunteering at her mobile home park, her church, and enjoying spending time with her family and friends as long as her health permitted.

Janet was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Dwight Durnal in February of 2010.

Those left to cherish her memories are her two sons:  Steve Durnal and David Durnal; three grandchildren: John, Lanie and Halle along with other relatives and friends.

Memorials as an expression of sympathy in lieu of flowers are to the Janet Durnal Memorial and may be left at or mailed to the Payne Funeral Chapel, 202 E. Madison St., Memphis, Missouri 63555.

Graveside services will be held Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, at 12:00 P.M. at the Memphis Cemetery with pastor Mary Lou Toft officiating.

Online condolences may be shared with the Durnal family by logging onto Payne’s website at paynefuneralchapel.com.

Arrangements were entrusted to the care of the Payne Funeral Chapel in Memphis.