Janet E. Guenther

Janet Elaine Guenther, 80, of Livingston, Montana, died Saturday, November 18, 2023, at Livingston Health and Rehab. Janet was born to Eidner and Ethel Peterson on June 29, 1943, in Red Oak, Iowa. She was the youngest of three children. She was baptized at Mamrelund Lutheran Church on September 19, 1943.

In 7th grade, Jan moved with her parents to Livingston, Montana and she graduated from Park County High School. After high school, Jan attended Billings Business College for administration. She met and married Jerrold Meredith her first husband on March 9, 1968, in Bozeman, MT.

After her divorce from Jerry, she met and married the love of her life, Marvin Guenther on February 14,1990, at Lake Taho, CA. Jan and Marv were members of Redeemer Lutheran Church and they resided at Sun River, Cascade, MT.

After Marv's death Jan moved to San Antonio, TX and began working with her sister, Carolyn Sorensen at H&S Associates. Jan managed the office like a pro! Jan joined Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in San Antonio and was a very active member. After Carolyn's brain tumor, Jan moved in with her and brother-in-law, Jim to assist with household chores and caregiving. Once Carolyn recovered, this became a permanent arrangement until Jan moved back to Livingston MT in 2016 to live with her brother Bob Peterson and sister-in-law LuAn. While back in Livingston she joined Pine Creek, United Methodist Church.

Jan loved singing in the choir, going to bible study, baking, and cooking and bowling! She was the slowest pinochle player in the world, and we will forever make jokes when someone takes too long to bid, calling them an "Aunt Jan". Jan loved her family and especially her nieces and nephews. She spent hours paging through catalogs to find the "just perfect" Christmas gift for everyone. She was an expert knitter and loved animals, especially dogs. Her renowned recipe for fudge will be available at the service of remembrance.

Jan was extremely charitable and one of her favorite charities was Water to Thrive, a non-profit that builds wells in Ethiopia. She never wanted to go there, but she was a tireless supporter. Her Ethiopian decent family are forever grateful.

In the last years of her life, Jan was plagued with dementia. As she was robbed of her memories, she slowly declined in health. Her family wants to acknowledge the special care that Bob and LuAn lavished upon Jan in the difficult times of her dementia. We give thanks to God that she now remembers how much she is loved, and she is able to shower her love upon us.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 21, 2024, at Pine Creek United Methodist Church. 

Memorial gifts may be given to Pine Creek United Methodist Church, 2470 E. River Rd, Livingston, MT 59047 or Water to Thrive at https://www.watertothrive.org/

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