Kathleen Jansen, 83

Kathleen “Kathy” Ann Jansen, 83, of New London, Minn., passed away Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, at Bethesda Grand in Willmar, Minn.
She was born on Oct. 1, 1941, in Hallock, Minn., to Orville and Mildred E. (Backstrom) Wilson. Kathy spent her early years in Hallock and Noyes, Minn., and El Paso, Texas, where her father served as a Border Patrol officer. During World War II, she lived in Alvarado, Minn., with her mother and grandparents while her father was in the Navy. She returned to Hallock to continue her schooling and graduated from St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Fargo, N.D., with an RN Degree in Nursing in 1962.
On Sept. 8, 1962, Kathy married her high school sweetheart, Ralph Jansen. They shared more than 60 years together before his passing in February 2023. Ralph and Kathy initially settled in Plummer, Minn., where Kathy worked at the hospital in Thief River Falls, Minn., and Ralph began teaching at the local high school.
In 1964, the couple moved to Albuquerque, N.M., where Kathy worked at the Lovelace Clinic and Ralph continued his teaching career. The family soon grew with the births of Julie in 1966 and Colleen in 1967.
In 1969, the family moved to Spicer, Minn., where Kathy worked at Rice Memorial Hospital from 1975 to 1977 when they welcomed their third child, Scott. She returned to work at the hospital in 1979, later transferring to the Willmar Surgery Center until her retirement in 2001.
During her time in the New London-Spicer area, Kathy enjoyed building three homes together with Ralph where they enjoyed time with family and entertaining with friends. In retirement, her travels with Ralph took her to Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand, the Baltic region and South America. Kathy cherished time with her children and grandchildren and was an active member of Hope Presbyterian Church, serving as a Sunday school teacher and participating in HPW, Health Ministries, and Habitat for Humanity.
Kathy’s life was marked by love, dedication and commitment to her family and community. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Kathy is survived by: her three children and their spouses, Julie Russell (Mike), Colleen Redmond (Ted), and Scott Jansen (Laura); and her five grandchildren, Ben Heck (Colleen), Elisabeth Nosser (Julie), Kate Heck (Colleen), Jacob Nosser (Julie), and Miles Jansen (Scott).
She was preceded in death by: her beloved husband, Ralph; her parents; step-brother, Dennis Kinshella; sister-in-law, Jeanice Jansen; and brothers-in-law, Charles and Kenneth Jansen.
A celebration of life service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, at Hope Presbyterian Church in Spicer. Arrangements are entrusted to the Peterson Brothers Green Lake Funeral Home in Spicer. www.petersonbrothers.com
A special thank you to the Hope Presbyterian Church congregation, Kathy’s friends for all their loving support and friendship, and the Bethesda community for their care.