May 1, 1961 – April 27, 2025
With profound sadness, we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Janet Rae Kalms, our loving and devoted Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt and Friend to the many whose lives she graciously touched, on Sunday, April 27, 2025.
She is survived by her loving husband, Steve Kalms; her 4 children, Kristin, Cheryl, Zachary, and his wife, Morgan, and Matthew, and his wife, Anissa; her 8 grandchildren, Lucas, Makalyin, Keira, Tarin, Gunnar, Sicily, Jimmy and Wylla. She is survived by 9 brothers and sisters and multiple nieces and nephews.
She has been preceded in death by her parents and 2 siblings.
Jan was born on May 1, 1961, in Prairie du Chein, to Ray and Betty Dearborn. She was then Born Again in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior 54 years ago on April 26. She was saved through Romans 5:6 “When you were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” On July 26, 1986, she married her best friend and partner, her “Love”, Steve Richard Kalms. They were a beautiful expression of what true love really means and easily demonstrated to those around them their commitment and loyalty to their vows.
Her life was a living example of Ephesians 4:32 “Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” She loved her family deeply, but first and foremost she loved Jesus. She never passed up an opportunity to share His love with others.
She was a beautiful woman inside and out who devoted her life to loving her husband and her children unconditionally through better or worse, through sickness and health, until death she did part from us. Jan was an encourager, always believing the best in others, constantly in prayer, and strong in His Word. Jan absolutely loved to sing, her angelic voice could be heard throughout her home singing and humming along to a beautiful Christian hymn.
However, that being said, it should be pointed out that her scream could end the life of any unsuspecting rodent with ease! While she disliked the farm work, especially unloading hay, she sure did love the Farmer. She was very content with taking care of the affairs of the home, and she did it brilliantly, with so much grace and always a smile, never a complaint. Her generous hospitality was most often expressed in a bountifully spread table. Her pies (especially the Rhubarb and Cherry) were like none other, and her praises will be sung for generations to come. She was very creative with sewing, crafting, and cake decorating. She took great pleasure in making floral arrangements that have added joy and beauty to many lives.
Her heart was made after God’s own and it shined so brightly to those around her. She was always ready and willing to help whomever and more often than we can count she was the shoulder we shed many tears on. Every day she would pen personal notes and cards and send them off to simply put a smile and an encouraging word in someone’s heart. She was continually thinking of others, often times sacrificing more than we probably even could begin to fathom. While every day for her wasn’t always full of sunshine, she clung to Jesus even more tightly throughout all those storms and eventually she was able to find the rainbow that God promised.
Jan lived every minute of each day filled with joy, love, forgiveness, hope, generosity, peace, patience, kindness, gratitude and grace with a thankful heart. So we will learn from her beautiful life and do as she did. We will keep on keeping on, just as she wished all of us would.
Please join us on Sunday, May 4th, 2025, at Huehns Funeral Home, 1414 Michigan St, Sturgeon Bay, for the Memorial Service at 4 pm. A private family visitation will be held from 1 to 2:00 pm, followed by public visitation for family and friends from 2 to 4 pm. Following the service, a light luncheon will be served.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Meals on Wheels for Door County.
Casperson Funeral Home & Cremation Services, LLC in Sister Bay, Wisconsin is assisting the Kalms family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Jan can be shared with her family through her tribute page at CaspersonFuneralHome.com