Janet Steele Andreesen

JANET STEELE ANDREESEN

Anamosa

Janet Steele Andreesen, 86, passed away Tuesday, May 19, 2020, at Iowa Masonic Health Facilities in Bettendorf, Iowa, following a brief battle with cancer.

Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers since no public services can be held at this time. A graveside committal service will be held Friday, May 22, at Cedar Memorial Cemetery in Cedar Rapids at 11 a.m. Central time. The Rev. Wade Reddy of Wayne Zion Lutheran Church of rural Monticello will officiate. Virtual attendance is encouraged at Kramer Funeral Home Facebook Live. A Celebration of Life for Janet will be held at a later date.

Janet was born Feb. 25, 1934, in Iowa City, Iowa, the daughter of Dale and Evelyn Greenawald. As a child, she lived in Iowa, Ohio and Utah while her father served in the U.S. Army. The family later settled in Morley, Iowa, where Janet graduated as valedictorian of Morley High School in 1952, with a class of six graduates. She enjoyed playing basketball at Morley where her high school coach was her dad.

After high school, she attended St. Luke's Nursing School in Cedar Rapids and became a registered nurse. Near the completion of nursing school, she met a young man from Anamosa who had just returned home from fighting in the Korean War: John Andreesen. They dated for about a year before they married on Sept. 4, 1955, in Anamosa. They were married for almost 65 years and together they had five children.

Janet had a lengthy nursing career working at the Anamosa Hospital, Monticello Care Center and Anamosa Care Center, where she served as director of nursing for 23 years, until her retirement in 1997. Even after she retired, she continued caring for others as she did part-time nursing work for Silvercrest of Anamosa and Clarence Senior Living.

John and Janet lived on their farm just east of Anamosa until 2018, when they moved to the Fountains Senior Living Community in Bettendorf. Janet was an avid supporter of her children and always attended their school events at Anamosa High School whether it was sports, band or academics. She prided herself on getting off work on time to get to out-of-town games. Janet enjoyed traveling to visit her family and participate in family activities. She was an active member of Wayne Zion Lutheran Church and volunteered her time in church activities.

Janet is survived by her husband, John; son, John of London, England; son, Jeff (Nancy) Andreesen of Bettendorf; son, Joel (Connie) Andreesen of Bakersfield, Calif.; son, Tom (Azza) Andreesen of Lake Forest, Ill., "fifth son," Dan (Mary Jane) Rushford of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Connor, Sophie, Jacob, Jilian, Ben, Luke and Valentina; siblings, Carol (Jim) Hosch of Maquoketa, Tom (Mary Jane) Greenawald of Albuquerque, N.M., Sheri Greenawald of San Francisco, Calif., and David Greenawald of Apple Valley, Minn.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Janet was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Jayne; granddaughter, Jayne; brother-in-law, Robert; and sister-in-law, Betty.

A special thanks to caretakers and staff at Iowa Masonic Health Facilities, the Fountains Senior Living Community and the Genesis Health System.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.kramerfuneral.com. Cards, letters and memorials may be sent to Kramer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 791, Monticello, IA 52310-0791.