Janice Witt, KCK activist who fed thousands & ‘touched countless lives,’ dies at 59
A longtime business owner and community activist who spent more than a decade feeding thousands across Wyandotte County has died, according to her family members.
Janice Witt, who alongside her husband, Ron, ran the Reola Grant Center, a local food pantry in Kansas City, Kansas, was 59 years old when she died almost two weeks ago.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree shared a social media statement from Witt’s family, announcing her death, last week. Kansas City TV news station KMBC 9 first reported her death after Witt’s husband told the station she died on Father’s Day from stress-related complications.
Whether out in the community or using her platform as a local political candidate — she ran four times for mayor of KCK and lost — Witt often advocated to expand public resources for Wyandotte County residents who needed them most. She continued to call on government officials to hold the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department accountable in the aftermath of former officer Roger Golubski’s death, and she also expressed the importance of lowering lower-income residents’ property tax and utility fee burdens.
She wanted to see a community built on a more trustworthy local government that gave everyone a seat at the table.
Witt claimed that Golubski — who in 2024 faced trial for allegations including terrorizing and abusing Black women in KCK for decades before killing himself the day it was scheduled to begin — also abused her late cousin, Elaine Greene.
The statement from Witt’s family, shared by Dupree, stated that Witt’s husband requested not to hold a memorial service, but that they were grateful for the outpouring support he received from loved ones after her death.
“Janice was a dedicated community activist, whose passion, leadership and commitment touched countless lives,” according to that statement. “Through her tireless advocacy and service, Janice worked to strengthen our community and inspire positive change for all.”
