Janice Mae Baumer was born to Harry and Thersa Thurston in Hancock, Wisconsin, on January 11, 1934, the youngest of 7 children – but only by a few minutes to her twin sister Joyce. Jan earned her degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, where she met Mary Ann Baumer who introduced Jan to her older brother Darrell (Beaner to his friends and family). They were married on August 11, 1956 and moved to Madison, Wis. where their first two sons, Jeff and Brian were born. Beaner’s work kept them on the move, the next stop was in Missoula, Montana, where Nancy came into their lives, then on to Chandler, Arizona where Doug completed the family. From Chandler, the family moved to Denver and after Doug graduated from high school, Jan and Beaner came to Berthoud and put down roots.
Jan was a nurturer and a giver – her first impulse was always to recognize the needs of others and do what she could to provide for them. She developed a strong circle of friends in Berthoud and they all came to support her in her time of need. She especially treasured the weekly meetings of her rosary group, who changed their habit of rotating among members’ homes and began using Jan’s as the home base as her mobility deteriorated. They always brought food, set up and cleaned up afterward – the company and sisterhood was greatly appreciated.
Jan loved her family and once her first grandchild was born, she became Granny to almost everyone she knew. She was happy when she had her boys and the grandkids (and lately, the great grandkids too) around, especially if they could all be there together. She lost Beaner, her husband of 58 years two years ago. Jeff and Sue have a son, Matthew; Brian and Shari have two children, Justin and Samantha (Sammie) who is married to KC, and they have a daughter Pressley; and then there’s Doug and Jan and Jan’s two boys.
Granny lost Nancy to asthma when she was a young mother herself, but she left Granny with a beautiful granddaughter, Kristen, who has remained close and who has had two sons with her husband Rob – Logan (who had a short and difficult life) and Lawson.
A Memorial Service will be held at St John the Evangelist Catholic Parish, 1730 West 12th St, Loveland Colorado on July 26, 2016. Rosary will be held at 9:30 am, Mass at 10:00 am. A luncheon will follow at noon at the Berthoud Inn, 444 1St St, Berthoud, Colorado. The family requests memorial donations to TRU Community Care Hospice (trucare.org) in lieu of flowers.