Janet R. Niswander

1/8/1938 — 5/13/2021

Service Date: 6/26/2021
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Janet Ruth Niswander, 83, of Lewiston, passed away Thursday, May 13, 2021, at Palouse Hills Assisted Living in Moscow, because of Alzheimer’s dementia.

She was born Jan. 8, 1938, to Hyrum “Lynn” and Maibelle “Ruth” (Blessing) Jensen in Tuttle, Idaho, on her father’s birthday. Her grandmother, Jensen, said she was just a teeny little thing, so her nickname became “Teen.” Janet had two older sisters, Gudrun “Sis” and Caroline “Toots” or “Tootsie Babe,” and one younger sister, Emma Lou. She grew up on dairy farms in Tuttle, Hagerman and Jerome.

Janet graduated from Jerome High School in 1956. She moved to Lewiston to attend Lewis-Clark Normal School (later Lewis-Clark State College) where she studied to be a teacher. She worked at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center on the switchboard while she was going to college.

She married Roy Niswander on April 20, 1958, at her parents’ home in Jerome. The couple had two sons, Clinton and Vernon.

Janet helped Roy with his insurance business before they had children. Once they had children, she was a stay-at-home mom. When the boys started school, she went to work for the Lewiston School District for more than 20 years.

Janet was very talented. She enjoyed carpentry (her dollhouse, the boys’ fort in the backyard.) Sewing (sewed the boys all the latest styles), knitting, crocheting, canning. Janet and Roy also enjoyed gardening, raising fruits, vegetables and flowers. Every September they would enter some of their harvest in the Nez Perce County Fair. They also enjoyed volunteering at the fair.

Janet enjoyed spending time with her family and volunteering for the Senior Nutrition Program in Lewiston.

Janet is survived by sister Emma Lou Foreman, of Lindon, Utah; son Clinton (Laura) Niswander, of Boise; son Vernon (Sonya) Niswander, of Lewiston; five grandsons; two granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and eight great-granddaughters.

Janet was preceded in death by her husband, Roy; father, Hyrum “Lynn”; mother, Maybelle “Ruth”; sister Gudrun and sister Caroline.

A public celebration of life will be held for Janet and Roy at 10 a.m. June 26 at the Lewiston Elks Lodge followed by a luncheon. Janet and Roy will be interred at Mountain View Cemetery mausoleum during a private family service.