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Janet Virginia Blumer De Wilde
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Janet Virginia Blumer De Wilde

March 20, 1918 - February 4, 2010

Janet Virginia Blumer De Wilde passed away on February 4, 2010. She was 91 years old, daughter of Frances Link Blumer and Fred Blumer of Monroe, Wisconsin; predeceased by husband, Robert De Wilde; sisters, Helen Harmon and Priscilla Blumer; brother, Kenneth Blumer; and daughter, Suzanne De Wilde. She was a resident of O'Conner Woods, in Stockton, California, for the past nine years. She is survived by her daughter, Jeanne D'Angeli of Stockton, California; son, Daniel De Wilde of Fort Worth, Texas; niece, Marcia Roe of Norman, Oklahoma; and grandchildren, Kaitlin De Wilde of Fort Worth, Texas, Daniel Parker of Houston Texas, and Ethan Parker of Huddersfield, England.

Janet grew up on a farm near Monroe, Wisconsin until the age of 9 when her family moved to Monroe. She remembered farm life vividly throughout her life. She was the valedictorian of her class at Monroe H.S., subsequently attended Shimer College and graduated from Lawrence University, on full scholarship at the height of the Depression, the first family member to graduate from college.

In 1940 she took a position with the personnel department of Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Neenah, Wisconsin where she met her husband, Robert De Wilde. They married in 1942. After the war, she lived in Neenah, Wisconsin, then San Mateo and Long Beach, California, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and Arlington Heights, Illinois, finally settling in Kentfield, California where she resided for 40 years. She loved California and in particular the forests and views in Marin County.

She was an active alumna of Alpha Chi Omega, Daughters of the American Revolution, and a volunteer with the Kentfield School District, Marin Art and Garden Center, and Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Corte Madera where she served on the vestry and altar guild.

Janet was an intellectually curious person who educated herself throughout her life on art, history, religion, music, genealogy, and flora and fauna. Always open to new ideas, she took a keen interest in her children's education, interests, and travels. She was a warm and caring mother and a devoted wife. A consummate cook, she was a homemaker of the generation that took pride in doing everything herself. A devout Episcopalian, she was a person of integrity and great kindness, giving herself selflessly to her family and community organizations. She was a cheerful person who always saw the best in people.

A memorial donation can be made to Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, Corte Madera, California. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. on March 20 at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA. Reception follows at the church.