Julie A. Jansen

Julie Ann (nee Thoma) Jansen, born to eternal life on January 3, 2025 at the age of 66. She passed away at Kathy Hospice in West Bend while surrounded by the comfort and love of her family and friends.

She was born to Alfred and Marie Thoma on February 5, 1958 in the Town of Barton. She met the love of her life, Gary Jansen, at a young age. They were married on June 2, 1979. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Bradley (Katherine) Jansen of Hubertus, WI and Melissa (Martin) Blair of Jackson, Wisconsin. Julie’s family was the world to her, she took tremendous pride in seeing her family happy and cherished their success and accomplishments. The light of her life was her granddaughters:  Finlee (5) and Charlotte (1) Blair and Ada (3) and Elena (1) Jansen were regular visitors at Julie and Gary’s house. The granddaughters spent many hours snuggling in Nana’s recliner and doing arts and crafts at her kitchen table.

She is survived by her brothers Jim (Debbie) Thoma and Joe (Marge) Thoma, and sisters-in-law, Sue (Mark) Hammen, Carol (Paul) Zwack, and sister-in-law, Nancy Thoma. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews who loved her as well. She is preceded in death by: her parents, Alfred and Marie Thoma, her parents-in-law, Betty and Richard Jansen, her brother, John Thoma, and her guardian angel, Brandyn Brooks.

Julie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a degree in elementary education. After graduation, she taught kindergarten in the West Bend Community for 28 years at St. Mary’s School in the Town of Barton. Through the years, she inspired her students and developed friendships with her fellow teachers, staff members, and parents in the community.

Julie and her husband raised their children with tremendous love. She was always making sure that the door was open in a welcoming home, and the team mom for her children’s sports teams. Julie enjoyed her summertime trips with Gary and her family to their lake house at Paradise Point in Three Lakes, WI. Later in her life, she was a gifted crafter, scrapbooker and a skilled rummage sale showrunner. Holiday time was special time for Julie, and she did everything she could to make them memorable for her family.

Julie’s most precious gift to the world was time. In January of 2015, she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and her doctors gave her only a short time to live. In the face of this challenge, she was brave. For the next decade, she spent countless hours with Gary traveling to and from doctor’s appointments and in and out of hospital stays. Against the odds, she was able to dance at the weddings of both of her children and hold all four of her granddaughters at their birth. The cancer took away all of her physical abilities--but it was powerless to touch a heart so full of love.

A celebration of life will be held at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception in the Town of Barton on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to Noon with a memorial mass to follow at Noon.

In 2021, the Julie Jansen Scholarship for Elementary Education was set up at The West Bend High Schools and has helped several students pursue a college degree in education. In lieu of flowers, donations to the scholarship in Julie’s memory would be welcomed at: https://wbcolumns.org/donations/donate/

The Myrhum – Patten Funeral & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Julie’s arrangements. Additional information and guest book may be found at www.myrhum-patten.com.