Janet Grace Smith Johnson Kolstoe

Janet (Smith) Kolstoe, 81 passed away peacefully May 17, 2014 at the Spring Creek Inn Memory care facility in Bozeman where she had been a resident for the past two years. A Bah celebration of life will be held 1 P.M. Friday, May 23, at the Franzen-Davis Chapel (118 N. 3rd St.) in Livingston. A committal service will follow with burial at Mountain View Cemetery. A memorial reception will formally begin at 3:00 P.M. at the Livingston Park County Librarys community room (228 W. Callender, next to the funeral home). After graduating from high school in Park High, Janet Johnson, daughter of Linden and Dorothy Johnson, decided to work her way around the world. Her first stop was Juneau, Alaska. She got a job with Territorial Department of Health in 1952. She then applied for a job in the Philippines. She did not receive the telegram offering her the job after the deadline date for a reply. Instead of heading for the Philippines, she volunteered as a medical secretary on the newly launched MS Hygiene that provided medical services to villages in the Aleutian Islands. It was during an unexpected stop in Unalaska that Janet she learned of the Bah Faith. She embraced the Faith in 1956 and it became the primary focus of her life. While in Juneau, she met and married Monte Smith. Their one son, Jonathan, still lives in Alaska. In 1958, at age 25, she became the youngest member to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahs of Alaska (the highest Bah administrative body for Bahs in Alaska). She served on that Institution for more than 26 years, 22 of them as National Secretary. During a Conference in Petersburg, Alaska in October of 1970, she was adopted as a Tlinget Indian. Though small of stature, her Tlingit name translates as "big woman," a tribute to her importance, not her physical size. Janet was present for the first election of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa. Israel in 1963. This is the top administrative body for Bahs throughout the world. In October 1979 she left Alaska for a position serving the Universal House of Justice at the Bah World Centre in Haifa Israel. In 1996 she returned to Livingston to care for her 93-year-old mother, Dorothy Smith. As Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahs of Alaska, Janet served during its early, crucial developmental years. She played a key, though often inconspicuous role during those formative years. Because of her ability to maintain a climate in which differing temperaments could work together, many fragile enterprises became successes. She played a vital role in preparing a firm foundation for both National and local Bah Institutions throughout Alaska. In Israel, she worked first in the Department of Israeli Affairs, dealing with the relationship with the government of Israel. Later she was appointed as one of nine Assistants in the Secretariat, working directly with members of the Universal House of Justice. In 2002 she married John Kolstoe. The two of them had known each other in Alaska and had worked closely on a number of projects. Since returning to Livingston, her physical health remained strong, but her memory was fading. She was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2007. In 2011 she moved into the Caslen Assisted Living Home in Livingston. About a year later it was necessary for her to have more specialized care and she moved into Spring Creek Inn in Bozeman where she remained until her death. Early on, when she knew she was losing her memory, some kind, well-meaning friend tried to console her with sympathy. Janets comment was, "It has to happen to someone. Why not me? Im someone." She got wonderful care in her final days and many staff members confided that she was their favorite resident. Several things were mentioned. Unlike many of the other residents, she didnt swear or lash out. Also, unlike many other residents, she did not start fights. She was compliant when she needed to be taken somewhere and maintained her pleasant disposition, saying, "Thank you" for every service rendered. She is survived by her husband, John Kolstoe; her son, Jonathan Smith; two grandchildren; Salena Warling and Ian Smith; and two great grandchildren: Rainey and Brody Warling. Burial will be at the Mountain View cemetery close to where her mother, grandmother and an uncle are buried.