Janet Mary Ann Gilson

Janet was born to Julius H.F. Birkmann and Mamie M. Peters on July 13, 1936 at their family farm near Brock, Nebraska. She grew up on the farm with her parents and sister, Mardell. She went to a small country school and went on to graduate from Brock High School, where she was active in sports and played the snare drum in the band.

After high school she attended Lincoln School of Commerce, then worked for a pediatrician as an office manager. Janet got her Real Estate and Brokers licenses. She worked at Ball Real Estate and ReMax. After leaving the buying and selling aspect of real estate, she worked as a receptionist for ReMax. Before retirement she became an Executive Assistant for two different departments at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

She met her true love, Kenny Gilson, through mutual friends. They loved to go on dance dates, especially in Syracuse, Nebraska. They were excellent dancers! They married on Flag Day, June 14, 1956 in Talmage, Nebraska at Zion United Church of Christ. Together they enjoyed dances, car shows, swap meets, and attending Cornhusker football games. Janet was an avid fan of Husker football, attending nearly every home game for 50-plus years. Not only would she wear her Husker clothing on game days (home or away), she would wear them every Friday to support her beloved Huskers!

Kenny and Jan were blessed with two children. Her son, Philip (Phil), was born December 19, 1961, followed by her daughter, Cynthia (Cince), April 5, 1967. Between working as an office manager and starting in Real Estate, Jan happily stayed at home raising her children.

Janet was a beautiful lady with a kind, generous and loving heart. She was an amazing gardener. She definitely had a “green thumb,” growing all sorts of flowers and vegetables. She was known for her large, colorful and beautiful Iris Garden. She loved spending time with her plants and flowers. More so, she loved spending time with her children, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and grandsons. When Cince was in high school, they spent nearly every weekend (except Husker game days) going to lunch and shopping together. Every now and then Janet’s mother-in-law, Rose Gilson, would join in the fun. She adored her grandsons and loved playing with them and reading to them. She attended many of their school events, birthday parties, and Boy Scout celebrations. Janet was always happy to babysit them whenever possible, and willing to help in any crisis. When her daughter went into preterm labor with both her sons, Jan and Kenny dropped everything and traveled to England and Texas to help.

She was devoted to her faith and her church. She volunteered at both churches she attended in her adult lifetime, even serving as President of the Church Council at one of them. When she retired she volunteered at St. Elizabeth Hospital, helping parents of newborns in the maternity ward. It was a great blessing to welcome two of her grandsons there as well!

After retirement she and Kenny loved to go on afternoon car rides to Nebraska City and southeast Nebraska, sometimes even forging into Iowa. They always began their drives one with a Pepsi and the other with a Coke. They also loved going to antique stores, which they did quite a bit in England while visiting Cince, Steve and the boys. They brought home many antique candlesticks from these visits! She was a wonderful pianist and loved playing Christmas music over the holidays. She was enthusiastically into ceramics when her children were young. On occasion Cince would join her at ceramics class. She painted all sorts of ceramic figurines, especially for the holidays. Her favorites were a Pilgrim couple with a turkey for Thanksgiving and a large Nativity scene for Christmas. She loved her Old Country Roses china. She had a vast collection and never passed up an opportunity to add to it!

Janet passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 9, 2023. She was loved immensely and will be greatly missed by her son, Philip (Jodi) Gilson; daughter, Cynthia (Steven) Maller; grandsons, Sam and Ethan Maller, Alex and Ben Gilson, and many other relatives and friends.

Janet was preceded in death by her husband, sister and parents.

Memorials may be sent to Dementia Society of America, PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901 or

online at https://www.dementiasociety.org