Our beautiful, vivacious wife, mother, daughter, sister and auntie was called home to the Jesus she loved and the One who held her tight for the past eight months during her courageous fight with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
She passed away peacefully with her family around her. Jana Michelle Wiersma Jansen was born June 2, 1967, in Bellingham, and died Dec. 14, 2024, in Seattle.
She graduated from Lynden Christian School and ITT Technical Institute in Seattle, becoming a paralegal, working first in Bellingham, then Seattle at law firms and the Port of Seattle legal department. Jana and Jordan Jansen were married September 2, 1989, in Lynden and began their married life in the Seattle area. She became a realtor and served in property management to accommodate her most important role, being a mother.
Jana loved fiercely her husband Jordan and cherished her two sons Jackson and Willem, her family and her many friends and Dutch, the family Siberian Husky. She excelled at gracious hospitality as a hostess extraordinaire. She was the spark in both families, and along with Jordan, planning and hosting Fourth of July and Thanksgiving events, as well as other summer parties and celebrations at their special get-away respite on the water in Indianola on the Kitsap Peninsula. Jana loved people, flowers and gardening.
She had a classy flair for decorating, fashion, and everything else. When the family moved to New York City in 2007 for a couple of years, Jana took advantage of every opportunity to explore The Big Apple and be part of the boys Geneva School community. She was an inspiration and an encourager to all. To know her was to love her. Her passing leaves a huge hole.
Jana’s faith in Jesus Christ was her compass and foundation for all she believed and achieved, until her final breath. The many hospital stays were opportunities for her to display her devotion to her faith, where she rested in the knowledge of God’s ultimate healing of her body. What a witness she was, always upbeat, encouraging, and speaking of her Savior.
Besides husband Jordan and her sons Jackson and Willem, Jana leaves behind parents Ron and Judy Wiersma, brothers Tim (Tammy) Wiersma, Madison, Sydney and Claire; Joel (Tresie), Georgia and Benjamin; in-laws Tom Jobe (Brendan Jobe, Jennifer and Adam Usner, Joel, Jake and Lauren); Janice Jansen (Kent and Robin Eiene, Elizabeth Hester, William and Griffith Hester, Chris Clanton and Emma Clanton); Jan and Kathy Jansen (Katie and Loren Craft, Madison and Charlie, Jan David Jansen); Joan and Steve Gould (Claire and AJ Porrini, Annie Gould); Jill and Stanley Steenmeyer (Stephanie and Tim Gerspacher, Connor Gerspacher, Shea Steenmeyer); Jeffrey and Kathi Jansen (Derek Jansen, Wyatt Jansen). Jana was preceded by brother in-law Joel Jansen, sisters in-law Jane Jobe and Kathy Jansen, and niece Erin Eiene Clanton.
Memorial service will be held at Sonlight Church, 8800 Bender Road, Lynden, Jan. 4, at 1 p.m.
Memorial Funds will be posted using Jana’s name at caringbridge.org.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
