Janis Monroe

Dec 14, 1937 -

Jan 2, 2022

Janis (Downes) Monroe, 84, passed away on Jan. 2, 2022, of a stroke at Banner-Ironwood Hospital in Queen Creek, Ariz., while visiting her daughter's family for Christmas. Her husband, daughters and grandson were by her side.

Jan was born on a farm in Spicer, Minn., and was 3 when her family moved to Wilmar, Minn. She earned a teaching degree in German at the U of M. Jan went on to teach high school German and Russian in Montana and Minnesota, and then moved to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1967. She taught at West High School from 1967-1976, and then at Service High School from 1977-1987. Jan came from a teaching family: her mother, brother, husband, daughter, grandson and granddaughters were or currently are teachers.

Jan met her adventurous husband, Tom Monroe, while working at St. Mary's Lodge near Glacier National Park, Mont. The two were married in 1959, and celebrated their 62nd anniversary this last summer. Jan loved adventure. At the age of 20, she hitchhiked through Europe. She hiked, caved, and camped in Montana and then in 1967, the family moved to Alaska for a greater adventure. They hiked, canoed, camped, hunted, skied, flew small airplanes, bought remote properties, built a cabin at Alyeska and then, from 1976-77, they sailed a 41' sailboat from Alaska to the South Pacific and back. Upon their return to Alaska, they commercial salmon fished in the Cook Inlet from 1978-2001.

Jan retired in 1987, at the age of 49. She and Tom then sailed across the Atlantic Ocean three times, built two cabins for the family at their remote property on MacDonald Spit across from Homer, and enjoyed skiing and Christmases at the family condo in Alyeska from 1997-2019.

Jan was preceded in death by her parents, Myrtle and George Downes; and brothers, Johnny, Jerome and Joseph Downes. She is survived by her younger brother, James Downes; husband, Thomas Monroe; daughters, Dawn Thornburg and Lynne Laichak; foster daughter, Wanda Clark; grandsons, Daniel Thornburg and Brett Laichak; granddaughters, Lauren Laichak and Erin (Laichak) Petersen; and great-grandchildren, Madison and Lucas Thornburg. A celebration of life service will be held in Anchorage in June 2022, with the location to be announced at a later date.