Former Lincoln Parish high school star Jane Ellen Cook Kuenzle passed away recently following a battle against cancer. O.K.(Buddy) Davis wrote about her impact on teammates and friends.)

By. O.K. Davis
buddy@rustonleader.com

Jane Ellen: The smile said it all

The smile.
It could dismantle the cruelest of cynics, the nastiest of naysayers, some of whom clung to the outdated belief that girls shouldn’t be playing in “boys only” sports, much less excelling in them.
But this girl had game. She was a “baller.” She was a gym rat.
And she had everything else.
The looks, the religion, the personality.
The smile.
Now, Jane Ellen Cook Kuenzle, 60, is soaring in the heavens with those qualities after passing away following a long and courageous battle against cancer on Memorial Day morning.
“Jane Ellen was the starting guard on my first two Lady Techster teams,” said former Louisiana Tech University women’s head coach Leon Barmore.” She played with a passion and drive to win that I loved. Coaching her each day brought me so much joy and excitement. She was truly one of the greatest Lady Techsters of all time. Heaven just got a winner.”
Jane Ellen played her first two years in the prep ranks at Simsboro before a junior and senior season at Cedar Creek.
Then it was on to the Lady Techsters’ program, where one of the major highlights was helping upset then No. 1 nationally ranked Texas in 1979.
No big shocker, Jane Ellen was a “friends magnet.”
Everybody loved her. Young, old, country folks, city slickers, even opposing players and coaches after she burned them with a 9-of-10 field goal showcase that Barmore has committed to lightning rod memory.
The smile.
Kathy Kincannon Warren, like so many others, aches today with the loss of their dear friend.
In a poignant, heart felt text, she wrote:
“ We were so blessed by her life and the love and joy she brought to everyone she met. My heart is hurting, but I have faith that she will be waiting on me in heaven with that beautiful smile !”
Yes, the smile.