Janet Kay Elder, age 78, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother left this earth to reside in her heavenly home on December 22, 2022. She passed suddenly and unexpectedly while in temporary residence at Fountain View skilled nursing facility in Monroe. Left behind to grieve her passing are a family and extended family whom she loved dearly, and who dearly loved her.
Janet was born August 23, 1944 in Monroe, Michigan and was raised by her adoptive paternal grandparents Edgar and Mina Clevenger. She graduated from Monroe High School with the class of 1962. It was in high school where she met and began dating a young man who would become the love of her life and her future husband, Dennis H. Elder. Janet and Dennis were married on June 22, 1963 and together raised their two children, Steven and Karen.
After graduating from high school, Janet began working as a nurse's aide, and it was then she became interested in becoming a nurse. When Monroe County Community College created their new RN nursing program, Janet was accepted into the program and proudly graduated as a member of the program's first graduating class. She fulfilled her dream by sitting for and passing the state board nursing examinations and becoming a licensed registered nurse. She then continued her education by graduating from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She worked for many years at Mercy Memorial Hospital in the OB department, before having to take a medical disability retirement.
Janet was an excellent seamstress, a skill learned from her grandmother, and loved to work at her sewing machine. She altered and mended clothes for the family, and especially enjoyed making unique costumes for the children to wear trick or treating on Halloween. She also loved to bake pies, cakes and cookies, all made from scratch, and passed out treats to all the family. Everyone wanted her Christmas cookies!
She was an avid reader and greatly enjoyed working crossword puzzles, looking forward each day to a new one to solve in the daily paper. She loved animals, especially kittens and cats, and adopted many over the years including the ones that showed up at her door needing help. There was hardly a time when there wasn't at least one cat in the house to receive her care and affection.
Janet was a stalwart and steadying presence in the lives of her children and grandchildren, always putting their needs before her own. She was the one they went to when they needed a ride to or from school, or maybe a Happy Meal. She would often surprise them with unexpected gifts, and was always there to listen and love, and offer advice when asked for it.
Janet was preceded in passing by her adoptive grandparents, Edgar and Mina Clevenger, her birth parents Kenneth Clevenger and Sylvia (Zimmerman) Lynch, brothers Elden Clevenger and Douglas (Nancy) Hanson and sister Brenda (Roger) Provey.
She leaves behind to mourn her passing and celebrate her life, her husband and life companion for over sixty years, Dennis Elder, her son Steven Elder, daughter Karen (Michael) Smith, grandson Jacob Elder, granddaughters Jaclyn Buckner and Kaydee Smith, great-granddaughter Ava Buckner and sister-in-law Glenda (Joseph) Gentner, along with many nephews, nieces, great-nephews, great-nieces and cousins.
Visitation will be held Thursday, December 29, 2022 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Bacarella Funeral Home, 1201 S. Telegraph Road, Monroe, where funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday. Rev. Mark Duerr, associate pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, will officiate. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park.
Anyone wishing to make a donation in Janet's memory should consider the Monroe County Humane Society, our local no-kill animal shelter that cares for the animals Janet loved so much.
Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the family by visiting the obituary page at www.bacarellafuneralhome.com .