Janet Nelson

Janet Nelson, 81, of Topeka, Kansas passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 10th 2025 surrounded by her family.

Janet was born on September 9th, 1943, in Murray, Utah, the daughter of Howard and Margaret Duncan (Rosso). A few years later, the family moved to Ottawa, Kansas, where Janet spent her childhood. She graduated from Ottawa High School, then graduated from the University of Kansas, where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. At KU, Janet met the love of her life, Dennis Nelson, and they married on June 26th, 1965 at Grace Church in Ottawa. Together, they raised two children, Kathy and Brice, in Topeka, Kansas.

Janet was a lifelong adventurer, who spent many happy summers at Sylvania of the Rockies summer camp in Colorado as a camper and a counselor. Horseback riding marksmanship, and theater were her favorite activities. She was named "Best All- Around Camper" and her photo was featured on the cover of the camp's brochures. Her love of the mountains and her treasured camp experiences were carried throughout her life.

The fiber arts were a constant in Janet's life. She loved learning about and teaching classes in fiber arts including sewing and tailoring, embroidery, quilting, needlepoint and weaving. 

Janet and Dennis did everything together, from renovating houses, gardening, spending time at the lake, and traveling. Her love for travel led Janet to establish Jade Travel with Dennis, where she specialized in leading group tours and cruises around the globe, including visiting Russia, China, Peru, France, Africa, Germany, Sweden, Alaska, Italy and more. Before Janet's retirement, Jade Travel had additional offices in Manhattan and Concordia, and was the primary group travel partner for the national Pi Beta Phi sorority. The agency was a mainstay in the Topeka community for over 25 years.

When she wasn’t traveling, Janet was deeply involved in her community as an active member of Grace Episcopal Cathedral where she served on the vestry, a sustaining member of the Junior League of Topeka and a member of the EP Chapter PEO. She was also a co-owner of the Knotty Pine Supper Club in Victor, Idaho with her husband and son.

Once retired, she and Dennis spent the winters in their Airstream in Treasure Coast, Florida, and summers in the stunning Teton Mountains of Idaho. She developed a newfound passion for genealogy and took great pride in discovering her Italian roots- which led her to visit her ancestral home in Andonna, Italy. One of her proudest accomplishments was becoming an Italian dual citizen in October 2024 along with her children and three of her grandchildren.

Survivors include her loving husband, Dennis Nelson, two children, Kathy Nelson Smith, and Brice (Whitni) Nelson, six grandchildren, Madeline (George) Langston, Bennett Smith, Lauren Smith, Cedar Chapman, Elijah (Ginny) Chapman, Dakota Chapman, and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will take place on Thursday, January 30th at 10:30am at Grace Episcopal Cathedral in Topeka, Kansas. An inurnment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to be made out to Grace Cathedral Youth Ministry, Grace Episcopal Church of Ottawa, Kansas, or the Friends of the Teton River. The links to donate are listed below: 

Grace Cathedral Youth Ministry: https://gracecathedraltopeka.org/

Grace Episcopal Church of Ottawa: https://graceottawaks.com/

Friends of the Teton River: https://www.tetonwater.org/