Janet Lea Etherton, 85, of Owatonna, died Thursday, September 28, 2023, at Benedictine (formerly Koda) Living Community in Owatonna after spending many years battling Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's disease.

She was born October 24, 1937 to Edgar and Stella Mae (Owens) Bradley in Lincoln, Neb. She attended Carroll High School in Carroll, Iowa where she participated in band playing the clarinet and as a drum majorette. She also participated in choir and was the artist for the student newspaper. After graduating high school in 1956 she attended Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa and Mankato State. She later married Bill Etherton in 1962 in Owatonna, MN where they met.

After marriage Bill and Janet lived in many locations including Indiana, Montana, Kansas, Duluth, MN, and Brooklyn Park, MN before finally settling in Owatonna. During their marriage they had two children: Kurtis (Washington, IN) and Kevin (Duluth, MN).

During the 1970s, Janet worked at the cosmetics counter for Donaldson's in the Brookdale Shopping Mall. She later worked for US West/Qwest as a 411-phone operator in Crystal and Owatonna. Janet inherited her cooking abilities from her mom Stella Mae. Janet was known for her great slow cooker meals which included veggie stuffing and porcupine balls. Her hobbies included drawing, painting and traveling. She received accolades at the Steele County Fair for her artwork. In her retirement she and Bill enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas and cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean. Some of Jan's travel highlights were celebrity sightings, including one of her favorites: Robert Redford.

Janet is survived by her son Kevin (Tiffany Meyer) Etherton of River Falls, WI, and a grandson, Mateo Etherton. She was preceded in death by her husband William, son Kurtis, sister Patricia and her parents. Her family would like to thank the staff members at Benedictine and St. Croix Hospice for her care and video calls throughout the last few years.

The immediate family will have a private funeral and burial.

The family asks that any charitable donations be made to Steele County Humane Society where Bill and Janet adopted their two cats Oscar and Rocky.