Janet Valentien

Janet Christena Valentien, 92, met her Lord and Savior on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 3rd, 2015. She was born to Peter W. and Aileen Javers on May 12, 1922 at Lennox, SD. Janet was raised in Lennox and graduated from Lennox High School in 1942. After graduation she worked as the Lennox telephone switchboard operator. After a few years she moved to Chicago to attend Moody Bible Institute to prepare for missionary work. During these years she fell in love with a Lennox farmer, and this changed the course of her life. Janet married John Valentien on Febuary. 14th, 1948, and immediately moved to the farm. This city girl quickly learned to round up escaping horses, butcher chickens, and feed pigs. She brought so much color to her house yard with her love of flowers. They lovingly raised their three children Gene, Linda, and Dianne on the family farm. Janet loved her Lord Jesus Christ. She was a lifelong member of Lennox Ebenezer Presbyterian were she served the Lord by teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, and spending countless hours in the kitchen helping prepare food for weddings and funerals. She loved her volunteer work with her sister, Evelyn, at the local food pantry located at Ebenezer. She dearly loved her church family. Janet acquired her love of flowers by working many years at the Lennox Greenhouse which was owned by her parents. When her parents retired and sold their shop she continued as a floral designer at Stubsten Greenhouse in Lennox, later retiring from The Flower Box in Sioux Falls. As a young child she learned to knit from a neighbor woman by using two long carpenter nails. She was knitting and crocheting up to the time of her death; providing her family and friends with afghans, baptism blankets, and her special knitted dish cloths. Janet was an accomplished quilter sewing beautiful heirloom quilts for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She made 546 blankets for injured and sick children during her years as a Blanketeer for Project Linus. Janet received several awards for her many hours of volunteer work for RSVP in the Sioux Falls area. She celebrated being a 30 year breast cancer survivor last summer. Most of all Janet loved her family. She couldn't rest in the evening until she made sure her family had all returned to their homes safely from work. She wouldn't consider missing a family gathering. She loved attending the concerts, programs, ball games, graduations, and birthday celebrations of her great-grandchildren. Janet also loved the almost daily phone conversations with her sisters, Evelyn and Lila. Janet is survived by her children Gene (Billie) Valentien of Lennox, Linda (John) Pien of Lennox, and Dianne (Tim) Neuroth of Sioux Falls. Grandchildren Mark (Jamie) Valentien of Brandon, Erin Valentien of Lennox, David (Sari) Pien of Worthing, Laura (Mike) Reed of Humboldt, Justin Neuroth of Sioux Falls, and Colin Neuroth of Sioux Falls. Great-grandchildren Jessica and Kiara Valentien of Brandon, Johnathon Pien of Worthing, and Christena and Hannah Reed of Humboldt, two sisters Evelyn Bossman of Sioux Falls and Lila Tiede of Kimball, and many nieces, nephews, and friends. Preceding her to Heaven were her parents and her husband, John, 1994 Services will begin at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, January 8, at Lennox Ebenezer Presbyterian Church with burial to follow in the Lennox Cemetery. Visitation will begin two hours prior to the funeral, at noon, Thursday, at the church. Dindot-Klusmann Funeral Home, Lennox is in charge of arrangements.

Janet Valentien

May 12, 1922 - January 3, 2015

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