Janice E. Petre

Janice E. (Thompson) Petre, age 79, of Sinking Spring, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2026 surrounded by family. She was the wife of Reynold E. Petre, Jr., with whom she shared over 60 years of marriage. Born on December 23, 1946, she was the daughter of the late Paul M. and Francis J. (Ferree) Thompson and grew up in Enola, PA. 

Janice was raised with the values of hard work, kindness, generosity and dedication to family which were qualities that remained at the heart of her life. She graduated from East Pennsboro High School in 1964. For more than 20 years, she served as a library assistant at Wilson High School, where she enjoyed helping students and staff. After retiring from Wilson, Janice turned a passion for quilting into her own quilting business, Janice Petre’s House of Quilting. This is where she created the most beautiful, handcrafted works that brought joy to countless others. Beyond creating quilts for customers and friends, her heart was most full watching her grandchildren open the one-of-a-kind quilts that she created for their special events. 

Quilting was more than a hobby and a business, it was one of her greatest passions. She was an active member of several quilting guilds and looked forward to attending quilt retreats, where she found both inspiration and great conversations with friends. She was decorated with many top placing ribbons from the various quilt shows she attended. One of her biggest and most treasured accomplishments was working with a group of talented quilters from the Quiltessence Quilt Guild from Shillington, PA to design and create a set of 4 quilted wall hangings measuring 30” wide by 80” high for the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel in Shanksville, PA. The quilts were made to honor the heroes who sacrificed their lives on September 11, 2001. The quilts took over a year and a half to complete, and they depicted the “Four Freedoms” defined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union address on January 6, 1941. After she used her longarm quilting machine to quilt all the pieces together, the quilts were unveiled, presented, and shared with the late Rev. Alphonse Mascherino, who dedicated the stunning quilts to the Chapel in a ceremony on May 29, 2010.

 Beyond quilting, Janice found great happiness in life's simple pleasures. She especially enjoyed watching and feeding hummingbirds as well as other backyard birds, reading a good book, and spending time watching Dancing with the Stars. Above all, she treasured her family and rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on her children and grandchildren at their sporting events. She will be remembered for her gentle, but determined spirit, her kindness, her generous heart, and her great big hugs every time she greeted you. She was a wonderful wife, mother, Nana, aunt and friend. She will be greatly missed by all who were lucky enough to know her. 

In addition to her husband Rennie, Janice is survived by her son Reynold Petre, III (wife Kristine) of Macungie, PA; her daughter Nicole Weatherford (husband Mark) of Goochland, VA; her daughter Melanie Wenger (husband Brad) of Gilbertsville, PA; her grandchildren Ashley (husband Matt), Paul, Jared, Ciera, Makenna, Landon, and Beckett; and her step-grandchildren, Sean, Devin, and Taylor. She is also survived by her brother, Lynn.

Janice was preceded in death by her parents. 

The family will receive visitors on August 23, 2026 from 9:30-11:00 AM at the Kuhn Funeral Home, 739 Penn Ave, West Reading, PA 19611. A funeral service will begin at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to: Berks Quilters Guild, P.O. Box 6942, Wyomissing, PA 19610.

Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements. Condolences may be written online at KuhnFuneralHomes.com.