Janet Anne Stengel Meadows December 21, 1944 -August 30, 2026
Janet Anne Stengel Meadows was born December 21, 1944 in Freeport, Illinois. She was the daughter of Edward L. and Lucille V. (Schelling) Stengel. The youngest of 4 children, she grew up on the family farm near Mt. Morris, Illinois, experiencing all that farm life entails, with animals, chores, 4H, and spending lots of time outdoors. She led an enriched and nurtured life, blessed with a loving family and church life at St. James Lutheran Church. She attended Coon Creek Elementary, a one-room country school, and Mt. Morris Junior and Senior High Schools, graduating with the class of 1963.
She was a 1967 graduate of Wartburg College, earning a BA in Music with a Pipe Organ major. She sang for three years in the a cappella Wartburg Choir which included touring for six weeks in Europe in the summer of 1965. After graduation she moved to Colorado for her first job as a student summer assistant in the music therapy department at the State Hospital in Pueblo. In 1968 Janet completed her Colorado K-6 vocal music teaching certification at CSU and then taught for ten years.
Janet met John Frank Meadows in 1971 and they married in Denver on June 17, 1972. After a six week honeymoon in Mexico, they established their first home in Boulder, Colorado. John was hired by Ball Brothers Corporation with his Electrical Engineering degree. He became the Senior Quality Assurance Engineer for all five Ball-built cameras manufactured for the Hubble Space Telescope. John was born October 28, 1938 and passed away December 26, 2019.
During their idyllic 47 ½ years of marriage, Janet and John loved time in the mountains, fishing, camping, and skiing. They also enjoyed friends, music, and gardening. During their time in Boulder, Janet participated in many activities and served on multiple committees at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church including the women’s ensemble and festival choir. She also played harp at church and at other events. She was supportive of her family in Illinois with frequent visits. She served on the board at the Good Samaritan Boulder.
In 2009, Janet and John moved to their new home in Loveland, Colorado, and became members of King of Glory Lutheran Church.
In 2015, Janet was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which significantly altered her way of life. This quickly led to her dependence on a power wheelchair, which she eventually used to travel, according to the chair’s odometer, over 2,700 miles during the next 10+ years.
During Janet’s life, she was a business owner and enjoyed drawing, water color painting, baking, and spending time with, and celebrating, her dear husband, family, and friends.
Janet is survived by her sister, Joyce Salter, and numerous nieces & nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Joseph E. Stengel, sister Jean L. Pittman, and her husband, John.
All obituary information has been taken from the funeral home, newspaper or other online resource
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