Janet Rose Meier-Grolman, 79, of Post Falls, Idaho departed home to be with our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus in the morning of Thursday, February 17th, 2022. Janet was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on a hot summer day on July 8th, 1942 to two adoring parents, Phyllis and Robert Burlingame whom she loved fiercely. The oldest of three, her younger siblings Joan Hostetler and Robert Burlingame, enjoyed playing cowboys and Indians in the forest of their North Idaho home, oblivious of WWII raging in Europe and Asia. She also loved learning how to dance, cook and sew from her two older half-sisters, Roberta (Toots) Hoiland and Audrey Flockerzie.

Janet graduated from Kootenai High School and went on to major in English and Speech Communication with minors in History and Psychology from Eastern Washington University in Cheney. It was there in the Student Union Building where she met a quiet, intelligent artist from Tübingen, Germany playing at the piano. Hans George (Dietrich) Meier-Grolman, 77, and Janet were married a few months later, on September 12th, 1970. The two had everything in common, even though they were raised in two very different worlds. Books, music, art, museums, and the love of the outdoors brought them together, and their love of children. They heard the call to be foster parents, and in 1972 they would welcome two pre-teen boys into their home. The following year they welcomed a baby boy with strawberry hair and big brown eyes into the world. Joeseph (Joe), 48, lives in Spokane Valley with his wife Molly and kids Cadence (16) and Alex (13). Eight years later, Rosanna (Rosie Cudmore), 40, came along and spent a lot of time riding in the basket of Janet’s giant tricycle on fishing trips and picnics. She lives with her husband Matthew (Matt), and their children Bridger (15), Gideon (15) and Gemma (11) in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Janet was a lifelong learner, studying everything from music and literature to art and education. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Idaho in Moscow where she embarked on a lifelong journey of educating thousands of children in Idaho. For 41 years, her passion was to make a difference in the lives of her students, parents and colleagues. She started her career at Eden Elementary in the second-grade class of mostly English language learners in Murtaugh, Idaho. Not impressed with the “lake” the locals raved about, she couldn’t move fast enough back to the lush green outdoors of North Idaho and taught a few years at Hastings Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene before finding a permanent home with the Post Falls School District teaching Kindergarten through Eighth grade at Frederick Post and Prairie View Elementary Schools. She took classes every summer, and by the time computers and neon were found in most classrooms in the early 90s, she became the technology instructor to her fellow teachers. She had a gift for making math and reading make sense and fun for her students, so she took the position of the Title I Math and Reading teacher for twelve of her 37 years in Post Falls.

After Janet retired in 2002, she continued to care for children and families in her community. She made dozens of baby blankets, donating them to the local pregnancy resource center, and handing them out to random pregnant women she met at the grocery store. She also never stopped buying school supplies, as evidenced by the many large storage totes we found in her home office. We can only guess she donated these to schools at the beginning of the school year, only forgetting where she had put them, like her eye glasses.

Janet never really took off her teaching hat, but she did have a life outside school, contrary to what her students thought. Her favorite pastimes included camping and fishing with her family, reading romance novels among the many flowers in her garden while sipping on a latte, and testing out her latest lesson plans on Joe and Rosie. She had a laugh that you could hear a mile away, and she would laugh at any joke you told, no matter how high it was on the dad-joke scale. She enjoyed deviled eggs, iced buttermilk with pepper, and made the best baked spaghetti, it would make her son-in-law cry. She often would interrupt her busy daily schedule just to buy the homeless guy on the corner groceries and clean clothes for the week. She loved sitting on her porch during lightning storms and sung in soprano no matter where she was or who was listening. She was a superhero to many, including performing CPR on an infant at JCPenny’s, saving the child’s life, or rushing to the scene of a car accident, holding a teenage boy’s head safe while he was having a seizure. Many hours were spent outside on the back patio, playing cards or Yahtzee with Dietrich, crafting and cooking raspberry pancakes with her grandkids, or helping them with their math and reading in the summer. She loved chatting and making friends with everyone she met, often found at yard sales buying figurines, books, and table runners. Oh, so many table runners. Her family was most important to her, often feeding them when they weren’t hungry, but more importantly, sharing the Good News of Jesus with them, praying for them, and sharing what she had read in her daily Bible Study. Thank you Mom for loving us and being a great example for us to continue your work.

Please join us celebrating her life Tuesday, March 8th at Yates Funeral Home 744 N 4th Street in Coeur d’Alene from 11am to 1pm. After the graveside service at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls, a reception potluck to follow at the Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center from 2pm to 5pm at 405 N William Street, Post Falls. Please bring a dish to share.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Open Arms Real Choices Pregnancy Clinic...

https://give.ministrylinq.com… .

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