Janet "Jan" Freemore

Janet “Jan” Freemore passed away on October 28, 2021, following a tragic accident. Jan was well known in her community and recognized for her service to others and her love and creation of beautiful music.  Jan grew up on a farm near North Branch, Minnesota.  She attended high school in Spring Lake Park, where she met her future husband, Dave.  They married in 1970 and raised two children, Amber and John.

While starting her family, Jan returned to university to earn her BA and Masters in Music Education.  In addition to her full time teaching responsibilities at Valley View Elementary, where she built an outstanding music program, Jan served as a church organist, choir director, and youth choir director at Sunrise Methodist Church and later at Wyoming Methodist Church, and for a period of time conducted the Chisago Lakes Children’s Choir.  When she “retired” from her full time teaching position, Jan continued her work with children by volunteering at Wyoming Elementary, and sharing her infectious enthusiasm with yet another generation of children.

Those who knew and loved Jan will tell you she was always on the move.  Neighbors were accustomed to seeing her outside year round, enjoying walking, running, kayaking, and biking. Despite her active schedule, she always had time to stop for a chat and welcome new friends to the neighborhood. After retirement, she found a new passion- quilting. She joined the quilting group at Wyoming Methodist Church and bonded with a whole new group of friends around their shared passion.

Jan was fiercely competitive and loved a good game.  She gave no mercy and taught even the youngest children to win on their own merit, not because she let them. Her competitive spirit was directed most often against herself, striving to learn and master new horizons.  She ran her first marathon on her 60th birthday, and started learning Norwegian in preparation for a trip to Norway, then continued daily practice in the language after her trip.  Her grandkids and extended family members swear that she made the best apple pie in the world, complete with that delicious crumble top and apples from her own trees.  Her garden was prolific and nothing was wasted in her household- Jan and Dave lived  “green” long before it was fashionable.

She lived and breathed music, always singing, playing multiple instruments, and inspiring others to do the same.  Jan’s love for family, friends, and community came through in her kind actions, her music, and the way she gushed over all the children in her life. She savored the small moments and lit up the room with her contagious sense of humor, making everyone in the room laugh till they could barely breathe.  Jan’s gift to us all, through God’s messengers, will be to pay it forward. To enjoy every minute, to reach out to friend and stranger alike with kindness, to cherish others, and to forgive every chance you get.

She leaves Dave, her beloved husband of 51 years, her daughter Amber, her son John and his wife Carla, grandchildren Jadelyn, Wyatt, Kurtis, Kami, and Kalli, and three great grandchildren. She also leaves her sister Judy and her husband Mike and their family of Los Angeles, California, as well as brother and sister in law Rob and Ronette and family, grandnieces and nephews, extended family and a bevy of friends.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 6, 2021at Elim Lutheran Church, 20971 Olinda Trail, Scandia, Minnesota, which will be officated by Rev. Holly Aastuen, pastor of Wyoming United Methodist Church.  The family will greet friends from 5:00-7:00 p.m., Friday at Mattson Funeral Home, 343 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake and one hour prior to the service at the church.  We respectfully ask you to wear a mask while inside the church on Saturday.

Memorial gifts to Jan’s memory can be made to the Hallberg Center for the Arts, 5521 East Viking Blvd., Wyoming MN 55092, to be used for further arts education.