Janet Wilson
December 26, 1933 - September 11, 2017
From: Des Moines, IA
Janet Lee Wilson, age 83, of Des Moines, died Monday, September 11, 2017, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 15, 2017, at Ryan Funeral Home in Nevada, with burial to follow in the Colo Cemetery. Memorial visitation will be held one hour prior to services.
Janet was born in Ames, Iowa, on December 26, 1933, to Mark E. and Helen (Hunt) Wilson of Colo. She graduated from Colo High School and earned degrees in political science from Simpson College and Columbia University. Later she received a law degree from the University of Denver and was admitted to the bar in Colorado, Nevada and Iowa.
Her career of forty years was devoted to legislative service work, including research, writing, bill drafting, and legal editing for nonpartisan state legislative agencies. She spent several years in Denver, Colorado, and Carson City, Nevada, before returning to Des Moines to work for the Iowa Legislative Service Bureau. She was an associate editor in the Iowa Code Office at the time of her retirement in 1998.
Janet enjoyed music and sang in church choirs for most of her adult life. Following retirement she participated in numerous Elderhostel programs and other travel adventures. She was a member of AAUW and remained active in book review and discussion groups and Ray Society classes. She belonged to Grace United Methodist Church in Des Moines and the DAR.
She was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by cousins in Iowa, Colorado and other states.
Ryan Funeral Home of Nevada has been entrusted with the care of Janet and her family.
Condolences
Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 5:18 PM
“It was a pleasure to know Janet at Grace United Methodist and then to have her move here to Wesley Acres. I had called on her in our Health Center and her apartment. About a month ago I ate lunch with her in the Courtyard . It was such a pleasant day with just a little breeze. We sat there a long time just visiting and enjoyed the trees and flowers. She will be missed.
Thoughts and Prayers,
Gladys Bloodworth
”
- Gladys Bloodworth
Friday, September 15, 2017 at 8:41 AM
“I am so sorry for your loss. I have many fond memories of Janet--school, music, basketball, church and family gatherings. So long ago and yet very vivid in my mind. May she rest peacefully in the arms of her Savior Jesus. "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." Psalm 54:4
Kay (Truesdell) Christian”
- Kay (Truesdell) Christian
Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 5:52 PM
“To Janet's family and friends:
I am deeply sorry for your loss. I have many fond memories of Janet and her parents and her Aunt and Uncle Paul and Agnes and their two sons and families. Camping (Glacier Basin) and hiking (Longs Peak) in Rocky Mountain National Park, riding horses with her father Mark Wilson, feeding chipmunks, and running from dive bombing hummingbirds. Over the years we corresponded at Christmas exchanging trip adventures. I deeply admired Janet for her continuing educational pursuits.
My favorite Janet story and adventure: When I was 18 years old (almost 50 years ago), I got my first important job as a Park Ranger Naturalist in Yellowstone National Park. I took my first ever plane ride from Iowa to Denver. Since I had a several hour layover in Denver I met Janet at the airport and we went out to lunch and toured the city. She was a wonderful host and I had a delightful time. But then one of the largest rain storms ever to hit Denver occurred causing the streets to flow with a foot or more of water. I was a nervous wreck wondering if I would be late for my first real job. Janet, however, took it all in stride and found alternate routes through the flooded city giving me a history and civic lesson of the city along the way. We barely made it back to the airport before my plane took off for West Yellowstone. To this day I have to arrive at an airport at least 2 hours in advance or trip anxiety kicks in.
I will forever remember Janet as a tall, stately, and elegant woman, and admire her for her educational and professional achievements. Love, Becky Davies”
- Rebecca (Truesdell) Davies
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