December 6, 1939 — September 3, 2025
Janice Joy Halsne December 6, 1939 – September 3, 2025
Jan loved many things; she was an avid sports fan, fished for hours, and walked all the time. She loved to walk. She walked down Iowa’s dirt roads to sneak apples to horses in the fields. She walked across the Great Wall of China. She walked down the streets of Old Havana in search of the perfect cocktail. She walked through piles of rain-soaked rubble to help hurricane victims for the Red Cross. She walked across a stage to pick up her master’s degree. She walked mile after mile after being told an awful condition was going to take away her ability to do so. And Jan did all that long after raising her three children and sending them off to college. She was her own strong, interesting self, apart from the various labels she earned and gathered along the way: daughter, sister, mother, wife, teacher, mentor.
Dorothy and Carl Neitzke raised Jan in Lake Park, Iowa, with her brother Jack. There was plenty of fishing, gardening, cookie-baking and love around that house at the edge of town. She attended Iowa State University and still shares a special bond with her sorority sisters six decades later. While in Ames, she met an equally handsome baseball player named Grant. They were married for 58 years until Grant’s passing.
Although they moved around early in their marriage, once they landed in Spencer, Iowa, Jan found a community she loved. She blazed a political trail by being the first female member of the school board and was heavily involved with activities at the Methodist Church. She was a regular at the multitude of sporting events her kids excelled in. One of her favorite things to do was driving her convertible Thunderbird, with the top down, to the Okoboji beaches.
Jan found new friends later in life after moving to Decorah, IA.. She mentored and supported students from disadvantaged backgrounds at Luther College, where she oversaw the Federal TRIO program, helping countless students succeed. She often spoke fondly of teaching and inspired many to take on the challenges of higher education.
Jan chose to spend her last few years in Washington, closer to her children. She made quite a few friends and stayed as active as possible right up to her final weeks.
Jan leaves behind three children and their spouses, Eric (Lynelle) Halsne, Chris (Michelle) Halsne, and Ann (Jodie) Halsne; six grandchildren, Elizabeth (Matt), Erin (Matt), Olivia (Levi), Eva, Garrett (Chloe), and Aleya; and seven great-grandchildren, Miles, Charlotte, Malachi, Florence, Elliott, Rosalie, and Leland.
She is also survived by her brother, Jack Neitzke, Sister-in-law, Luana Beeson (and her husband, Don) and Brother-in-law, Dennis (Denny) Halsne (and his wife, Linda).
Jan and Grant will rest together at the Blairsburg Cemetery in Hamilton County, Iowa.
A brief service is being planned for 10am Saturday, October 11, 2025 at the Blairsburg United Congregational Church in Blairsburg. Foster Funeral and Cremation Center is entrusted with the services.
fosterfuneralandcremation.com