Jansens to be Honored with Annunciation Award

Ann Hayes

Mike (’80) and Tricia Jansen of Windsor, Colorado, are the 2026 recipients of the NDHS Education Fund Foundation’s prestigious Annunciation Award.

The couple will be honored for their longstanding commitment to Notre Dame Regional High School on August 7 at the annual Queen of Victory Evening of Excellence.

“We are extremely humbled and honored by this award, and feel undeserving,” the Jansens said. “It was truly a surprise.”

The Annunciation Award is presented annually to individuals and organizations that have devoted immeasurable time, talent and/or treasure to sustain Catholic secondary education in the community and whose presence, by word and deed, has enriched the lives of the students of Notre Dame and served as an example for all.

The couple has made northern Colorado their home for three decades. Together, they co-manage Clayton Homes in Evans, Colorado, where they have operated a retail location for 30 years. The company is the largest provider of factory built affordable housing.

“We are blessed with being part of helping make home ownership attainable for our customers,” Tricia said.

Tim Garner, Notre Dame president, said, many talk about the importance of the Catholic faith and of a Catholic education, but Mike and Tricia back their words up with time, talent and treasure.

“Even though they reside in Colorado, and have for a long time, they can also call Notre Dame home,” Garner said. “As a couple, they have continuously been benefactors that have allowed countless Notre Dame students spanning decades to receive a Catholic education.”

Working to keep a Catholic education at Notre Dame affordable is a continuous goal, Garner said.

“With generous benefactors like Mike and Tricia, we can confidently offer valuable financial support to families seeking a Notre Dame education,” he said.

Garner underscored the Jansen’s faith and humility “as is true with the school’s namesake, ‘Our Lady’, Notre Dame. This is not a recognition that they would seek, nor would they want. They simply want to do the Lord’s work and be good stewards of what they have been given. That is exactly why they are deserving of this year’s Annunciation Award.”

As Garner noted, while the Jansens have been Colorado residents for much of their married life, they continue to give back where their stories began.

Mike, a Kelso, Missouri, native, said his heritage at Notre Dame runs deep with four generations of his family having attended, beginning with his mother, Mary Jane Drury Jansen, and currently with several great nieces and nephews enrolled.

“Notre Dame has been critical in our family’s faith formation, preparing us to live in our world,” Mike said.

His parents, Martin and Mary Jane Drury Jansen, were instrumental – both financially and through personal leadership – in the building of Notre Dame’s “new” campus that opened in August 1998 at 265 Notre Dame Drive, just west of Cape Girardeau. Martin served on the building committee as president of Columbia Construction Company, the general contractor on the project, and the couple has been recognized at Notre Dame’s Cardinal (highest) level of support for the project. The couple demonstrated a deep and ongoing commitment to Catholic secondary education in southeast Missouri.

Martin, “a man with an eighth-grade education, recognized the importance of a Catholic education in his children’s lives, and both parents made sure all nine of their children had that opportunity, as well as many others to come,” said Tricia, extolling Mike’s family. “The memorial (plaque) in his parents’ honor in front of the school has continued to be a guiding influence for us. It was their hearts that showed the brightest. In our simple way, we are trying to continue their legacy to Notre Dame and Catholic education in general,” Tricia said.

A member of the Class of 1980, Mike ran track, participated in the spring musicals and intramurals, and served as senior class vice president.

“Track was an enjoyable experience,” Mike said, saying he gained “an appreciation of teamwork in an 880 relay and the importance of – as St. Paul says – finishing the race.”

He also has fond memories of the faculty who taught him. He says Latin teacher Sister Augusta helped him become multi-lingual – “Semper Ubi Sub Ubi”, a Latin pun translating literally to “Always where under where,” which sounds humorously like “Always wear underwear.”

Additionally, he recalls former theatre teacher, Cynthia King, helping him recognize his “true” talent in theatre, recounting that during his audition for a show, King told him, “Mike, you have the voice and face of a stagehand,” sending him headlong into his career in construction.

“He has so many memories of all the good people, religious and lay, who dedicated their lives in helping to make ours better,” Tricia said, thanking them all for their encouragement and the foundation they laid.

Tricia also attended Catholic schools whenever possible throughout her education. Raised in a military family of six children, she moved frequently during her childhood in step with her father’s career in the U.S. Air Force. Her high school years took her family to San Antonio, Texas, where she graduated from John Marshall High School.

Mike and Tricia met in college at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where Mike studied finance and accounting, and Tricia, marketing. They married in 1985.

As steadfast as their commitment to each other is their dedication to Catholic education and to sustaining Catholic causes.

The Jansens have developed close ties to The Catholic Foundation of Denver, which has operated since 1998 as a fiduciary for current and deferred major gifts and endowments to Catholic organizations. The Foundation provides for the long-term financial support of ministries and parishes within the Archdiocese of Denver, covering the northern half of Colorado.

“The Catholic Foundation is about inspired planned giving in northern Colorado,” the Jansens said. “Their sole intent is advancing the mission of the Church by supporting Catholic parishes, schools and other charitable organizations, using faith-based priorities and standards in their morally responsible investment policy.”

The Jansens have both served on the Foundation board and, in doing so, have become involved in the Archdiocese of Denver in which their parish, Our Lady of the Valley in Windsor, is located. There, Mike serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and lector, and they have both been involved with various small groups over the years. They also participated in a mission trip 12 years ago to Tanzania, Africa, to help launch an all-girls secondary school at Christ the King parish.

“We fell in love with the faith, community and love of the people, and have remained involved to see the addition of a primary school and an all-boys’ secondary school,” Tricia said.

In August, the Jansens plan to travel to Tanzania again to visit the parish and attend the blessing of the new boys’ secondary school, Tricia said.

Meanwhile, they are also involved in a similar project closer to home.

“When we moved to Colorado, Mike went from being involved in the steering committee for physical plant needs of Notre Dame, to arriving here to an area that has never had a Catholic high school,” Tricia said.

The Jansens have helped change that. In 2019, their Archbishop mandated the formation of St. John Paul II High School that opened its doors in 2020 in Windsor.

“What a challenge in today’s culture!” they say, but “to help Catholic education grow is truly a blessing to both of us.” The project, they say, also “has deepened our appreciation for Notre Dame and the impact it has had and continues to make on so many lives.”

They remain steadfast in their commitment to growing Catholic education.

“The future of the world belongs to our young people,” said the Jansens, who have no children of their own but are blessed with many nieces, nephews, Godchildren and spiritual children. “Catholic schools are the primary source for vocations. They prepare our young people for sainthood, and they spread the gospel. Is there a better reason” to support them?

They urge everyone – “Please nourish and support Notre Dame with all that you have! It is irreplaceable!”

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The Jansens are unable to attend the Queen of Victory Evening of Excellence due to their travels to Tanzania, Africa, but they will share a recorded message of gratitude at the event. Purchase tickets to attend the Queen of Victory event here.

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