Born in Moline on January 22, 1933 to John and Helen Burgess, Janet graduated from Rock Island High School and attended Augustana College and Utah State University. She married Richard Guth, whose career took them to Venezuela; while living there, they became the parents of three children. Against this exotic backdrop, Janet developed a deep love of art, creating many pieces now in private collections across South America, Europe, and the United States.

Janet returned from Venezuela an artist and skilled seamstress, earned membership in the American Society of Interior Designers, and worked many years as General Manager of Grilk Interiors. While volunteering with Playcrafters Theater in Moline and the Village of East Davenport Association, Janet cultivated a passion for historical costuming, which inspired her to found Amazon Drygoods. In 1980, she married fellow history enthusiast Milan Vodick. Over the next three decades she grew her company into a nationally recognized purveyor of historic clothing, accessories and reference material, winning special recognition for period costuming in movies and theatrical productions across the United States and Europe, including the 1997 blockbuster Titanic.

Janet was active in the community, serving on the boards of the Quad Cities Arts Council, the Rock Island Art Guild, Scott Community College Interior Design Program, and several local historic preservation and neighborhood housing groups.

She is survived by her children and their spouses, John and Nancy Guth, Virginia, Marshall and Kathy Guth, Bettendorf, and Linnea Layman Sinclair, Pennsylvania; her grandchildren, Daniel, Marta, Sorcha, Tyler, Laura, Jennifer and Jeremiah; five great-grandchildren; sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Tony Fraioli of Arizona, and sister, Joan Walker of Davenport. She was preceded in death by her husband, Milan and grandson, Peter.

The family wishes to express deep appreciation to her kind caregivers, Mary and Carol, as well as to those from Lighthouse Home Health Care, Manor Care and the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House.