Janet Zwetsch

Our mom, Janet Kammeyer Musgrave Zwetsch lived a long, full life. She was born in Corder, Missouri and passed away in Spokane, Washington at the Riverview Veranda Memory Care facility on November 20, 2023 just a few months shy of her 90th birthday. Although Mom's health was declining, her death was peaceful and sudden. In her words, she was tired and just wanted to go home and see her mom and dad.

Jan, or Nettie, or Red, as her family and childhood friends called her, grew up in Concordia, Missouri in a large, loving family. Nettie adored her parents, Hank and Nora Kammeyer, who raised their children to work hard, love thy neighbor, and look for God's beauty in every corner of life. Preceding her in death were our aunts and uncles, Carol, Jack, Glenn, Ruth, and her twin, Annie. Jan is survived by her sister, Mary, and brother, Roger.

Janet and her first husband, John R. Musgrave (deceased) had five daughters: Mary Rosner, Jeanine (Mack) Hopping, Jacqueline Musgrave, Alicia (Ken) Thompson, and Leah Applewhite. She had 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.  Jan is also survived by her second husband, Gil Zwetsch and his children Jeff Zwetsch, Dana (Kevin) Moss, Debbie Outsen, David Outsen, and Juliana Chiou-Swa Lin. 

Jan and Gil's lives revolved around people, and if someone needed a family, they offered up theirs! So, in addition to the people listed above, there were many more who were also welcomed and adored as family! Jan showered love on every one of us and was delighted by each addition to her family.  

On May 8, 1990, Jan was designated the 137th of 1000 Points of Light by President George H. W. Bush. These 1000 Points of Light were honored because of their volunteerism and their impact on our nation. She was selected for her volunteer work with women in the Spokane County Prison where she directed the Women in Transition (WITS) Program. This support group was designed to help inmates change their pattern of living before going back out into the world. Jan owned Janz Studio and held classes at Spokane Community College, using her expertise as a beauty consultant to help many. 

Our mother threw herself wholeheartedly into all of her endeavors, whether it was hosting the most loving & memorable family gatherings, remodeling and building houses with Gil, typing term papers late at night for John, to golfing, painting, rock collecting, and even developing an exercise protocol for the elderly. Her boundless energy and devotion to a positive attitude served her well, even as she faced Alzheimer's, and her faculties left her one by one.  Her firm desire was to 'give until she was used up' and believed 'you can always do things to make a situation better', which she successfully did to the very end. 

The love and encouragement our mother so willingly extended to others impacted many. She will be dearly missed by all. May her light and love continue to shine down on us from above.

A celebration of life will be on February 10, 2024, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Riverview Retirement Community Chapel (1802 E Upriver Dr. Spokane WA). For those from out of town, we recommend staying at the Mirabeau Park Hotel (509-924-9000). When calling to make reservations, please mention Jan “Nettie” Zwetsch for a special rate of $119 per night, which includes the breakfast buffet for two.  

We look forward to gathering with people who loved Jan to share in our beautiful memories. We hope you will be able to join us.