Janet Jean Downs, age 88, passed away on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at Bethany Home in Brandon, South Dakota. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, June 9, 2025 at Spirit of Truth Lutheran Church (112 E. Annabelle St., Brandon, SD) with family present one hour prior for visitation. Janet's service will be available via livestream at: https://youtube.com/live/96aCXc34RIo?feature=share

Janet Strampe was born on December 13, 1936 to Clarence and Evelyn (Eggers) Strampe in Cherokee, Iowa. The family lived in Paullina, Iowa, Omaha, Nebraska, and Norfolk, Virginia before settling back down in South Dakota at a farm in rural Valley Springs. Janet graduated from Brandon High School. In her younger years, Janet was fairly active in the Valley Springs Municipal Band, playing the French horn. She also was a member of the 4-H club and Rowena Rustlers, and would compete in showing cattle.

On November 20, 1955, Janet was joined in marriage to LeRoy E. Downs at Beaver Valley Lutheran Church in Valley Springs. The couple moved to Sioux Falls and raised their children, Mark, Charlotte, and Fawn. As a family with a love of the outdoors, they always had a vacation planned, frequently visiting cabins at Big Stone Lake, the Black Hills, and Yellow Stone National Park. Later in life, LeRoy and Janet loved traveling so much so that they spent 20 years living on the road in a camper traveling all across the United States hosting work camps and even visiting Canada and Mexico. Janet was the epitome of an adventurous spirit and she brought excitement to those around her. That sense of adventure also brought Janet joy in her work, as for many years she drove pilot cars for large over-the-road wide-load transports.

Faith was a fundamental cornerstone in Janet's life. She was baptized at a Lutheran Church in Germantown, IA and was a long-time member of Beaver Valley Lutheran Church and Grace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls before becoming a member of Spirit of Truth Lutheran Church in Brandon. Her beliefs were so important to her that Janet and LeRoy would visit numerous churches while on their travels, meeting many wonderful people along the way. Janet exemplified her faith through the care that she showed others, always taking the time to listen to others with sincerity and expressing generosity to those in need.  She truly enjoyed others and had a genuine interest in what people wanted to share with her. Janet was a social butterfly, easily making friends and truly connecting with them.

Not one to sit still for long, Janet enjoyed being crafty and trying new things. She always had a new activity to share with her friends and family. She was a wonderful baker and created beautiful wedding cakes for her family and friends. One of the best parts of Christmas was Janet's delicious cookies. She also enjoyed tending to her flower gardens and canning a variety of jellies and vegetables. Janet was always up to play a board game or cards, especially weekly bridge games. Her favorite way to pass time, however, was undoubtedly spending time with her family. Weekly visits with her family members were a priority to her as a caring and loving fixture in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and their children.

Grateful to have shared Janet's life with her are her husband, LeRoy Downs of Brandon, SD; her children, Mark (Glenda) Downs of Hartford, SD, Charlotte (Douglas) Harr of Valley Springs, SD, and Fawn (Kevin) VanVeldhuizen of Sioux Falls, SD; her grandchildren, Joshua and Cody Downs, Mindy Thomas, Valerie Houser, Rachel Ahlers, Ashley Allington, and Jenna Hoogendoorn; 20 great-grandchildren; and 1 great-great-grandson. She is preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Evelyn Strampe; her infant daughter, Charlotte Downs; her infant son, Matthew Downs; her grandson-in-law, Scott Ahlers; and her brother, Clarence (Sharon) Strampe.