October 7, 1931 – March 6, 2025
Janice T Hettich
Born in Burlington, Vermont, Jan was raised throughout New England, where she attended Presque Isle High School. In her youth, Jan enjoyed hours of skiing and horseback riding.
Jan headed to Maine to earn an associates degree from Westbrook Junior College in 1953. While in Maine, she married Eugene Hettich 1954, to whom she was married for 23 years. Jan worked as a cartographer in Chicago while Gene attended optometry school, and then moved to Seattle in 1959. Jan resided in Bellevue, WA to raise her children, and later spent time living in Birch Bay, WA, Green Valley, AZ, finally returning to Normandy Park, WA, to live out her latter years close to her children and grandchildren.
In her late 40s, Jan earned a LPN certificate from North Seattle Community College, after which she worked as a nurse at Providence Medical Center for over 19 years.
Jan’s hobbies included raising golden retrievers, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her friends and family. She loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping, hiking, and being outside in nature.
Jan had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel. She drove across the United States (possibly through every state in the mainland) multiple times to see family in New England and Florida, visiting with friends along the way.
Jan was always a positive and fun person, even when life threw her curveballs. If you spent any time in Jan’s company, you quickly learned she had a sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories. The stories usually became more entertaining after a shot of Jameson whiskey or a Guinness beer.
She is survived by her children, daughter Holly Stapnes (grandson Alexander Stapnes and granddaughter Kristiana Stapnes), son Chris Hettich (granddaughter Taylor Hettich), and daughter Heidi Hettich.
Jan spent her last two years under the care of the dedicated staff at Columbia Lutheran Home in Seattle, where she passed away peacefully with family by her side. Because Jan’s heart was always in Vermont, the family will travel from the Evergreen state to the Green Mountain state to celebrate her life and scatter her ashes.
There will be no public service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Columbia Lutheran Home, 4700 Phinney Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103.
The post first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.