Janet Engdahl

On July 28, 2018, beloved sister Janet Lee Engdahl passed away with her life partner Tom Rehberg, and her sisters Linda and Cheryl at her bedside.

Janet was born in San Francisco in 1950 and spent her childhood and youth there. She also began her career in banking there. She then moved to Arizona and quickly advanced to a managerial position with 1st Interstate Bank. She later returned to Santa Cruz, California to advance her banking career with Wells Fargo Bank. There she took great pride and joy in helping raise Cheryl’s two small children, Jessie and Ian. After she retired from banking, she semi-retired to arrange luxury vacations to Hawaii.

She finally fully retired to spend winters in Tempe, Arizona and Summers at a lake cottage in Northern Wisconsin, Where she enjoyed Kayaking, Swimming, Hiking and biking with Tom. They spent May and October RVing between the two homes, hiking, camping, and exploring National Parks with their Beloved dog, Mardi.

Janet was an avid skier, winning medals in her ski club, and was a scuba diver in her younger years. Later, she became a whitewater Kayaker with Tom and even did the Wild Rogue River! She also started playing tennis and golf and bicycled around the North Woods trails.

Janet was an adventurous world traveler, taking trips to Europe and Hawaii with her sisters. She also took backpacking trips with Tom to The Alps, New Zealand, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, etc. At home she took lots of mountain hiking and camping trips with her sisters and Tom.

Janet even won a red ribbon at the world famous Mercer, Wisconsin “loon calling” Contest. She was game for everything!

Janet will always be remembered and honored as a loving supportive sister who always provided a listening ear and shoulder to lean on in difficult times.

Janet was loved and will be missed by Tom, Cheryl, Linda and her brother Ken, her niece Jessie, and her nephews Ian and Gareth, and of course, Mardi.

To Celebrate Jan’s life there are such rich and special moments, uncountable. I speak with tears, the loss is so great; but certain vivid moments stand out which were fun and daring. The time we skied the French Alps in “white out” conditions; Jan went down those hills with skill, and “gusty “determination; she loved to ski.

We traveled far and wide, trekking the cobblestones and hill towns of Western Europe. Jan loved moving around and exploring with insatiable curiosity.

Jan and I hiked the Sierras, tackling steep and seemingly insurmountable trail heads. One instance was my reluctance to finish a very tedious climb, but Janet kept going until we got to the top; Janet would not stop, the reward was a bounty of nature at its best.

Jan stuck to her beliefs whether they be social or political issues; we had robust and vigorous talks of great value to me; Jan was my “sounding board”. The time I treasured the most was the “quiet” we had, it’s so comfortable and easy.

I will Miss you Jan; but our life experience together I hold dearly and will always remember, love you, my sister my friend- Linda Engdahl