Janet Dee Johnson

JANET DEE JOHNSON, 81, of New Richland, died on July 7, 2023, at the Homestead Hospice House in Owatonna, MN.

She was born on November 5, 1941, in Waterloo, IA, to Howard and Irene (Eaker) Hanson.  She moved with her family to rural Ellendale and was baptized in Hope, MN. Janet was a 1959 graduate of Ellendale High School. She married Roger R. Johnson in Meriden, MN, on May 20, 1961. Janet was an excellent mother to her two daughters, Pamela and Annette. Every day she was an example of love and nurturing - to her own children, her two beloved grandchildren, Andrew and Katie, her nieces and nephews, and others fortunate enough to have known her. Janet was a skilled quilter and completed hundreds of them over the years. Some are being enjoyed by friends and family, while others were made for donation to Lutheran World Relief and other charitable institutions. She spent many hours visiting with great friends while quilting. She was also the best cook on the planet. Her family will spend years trying to perfect her lefse and her secret rye bread recipe! Janet was an avid reader and completed at least 200 books in the last year of her life. She also enjoyed annual trips with her sisters, Broadway musicals with her girls, foreign and domestic travel, golfing with friends, and spending as much time as possible with her grandchildren.  

In April 2022, Janet was diagnosed with cancer. She made the incredibly brave decision to cease treatments in September so as to have a better quality of life.

Janet is survived by her husband, Roger Johnson, New Richland, MN; her daughters, Pamela (David) Utterback, La Crescent, MN, and Annette (Peter) Engeldinger, St. Peter, MN; two grandchildren, Andrew Pettengill, Portland, OR, and Katherine Engeldinger, St. Peter, MN; her siblings Marilyn (Wayne) Reistad, Owatonna, MN, Carol Proechel, Crozet, VA, Nancy Piazza, Pueblo, CO, Raymond (Sandra) Hanson, Kearney, NE, Gordon (Donna) Hanson, New Richland, MN, Glen (Linda) Hanson, Owatonna, MN, and Julie (Hugh) Carlson, Roseville, MN.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Howard and Irene (Eaker) Hanson, her brother Leslie (Carol) Hanson, Plano, TX, and her sister Gladys (Michael) Tressler, Pueblo, CO.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 14, 2023 at the Third Street Chapel of Dennis-Steffel-Omtvedt Funeral and Cremation Service in Waseca, and will continue for one hour before the service at the church on Saturday.