Janice Deen Dow

Jan was born in Boone, Iowa, to John and Donna Allen. Her parents, both educators themselves, helped instill a lifelong love of learning, reading, and spirituality in their daughter. By the time “little Janice” was school age, the young family had moved to Blue Springs, Mo., where her two sisters and brother were born.

After graduating high school in Blue Springs, Jan attended Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, earning the first of her academic degrees in education. At Graceland, Jan met Morris Danielson when the two of them were working in the campus cafeteria together. They married in 1968, and had two children, Donella and Nick. Jan would go on to earn degrees in education from the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado-Denver.

Jan was a longtime employee of Littleton Public Schools. She started at Franklin Elementary in 1981 as a reading specialist. She taught first grade at Franklin for more than a decade, then worked as Dean of Students. Later, she served as assistant principal at both Highland and Centennial elementary schools. She finished her career as the principal of Coyote Creek Elementary in Douglas County, retiring in 2008.

Jan loved education, but she really loved retirement. She had more time to enjoy her favorite thing in the world – her family. She was a loving mother to her children, and a beloved “Gowie” to her grandchildren. She could calm a fussy baby, empathize with an upset toddler, spark a giggling fit in a tween, and offer a listening ear to a teenager.

Words aren’t adequate to express how much Jan’s family misses her, and how grateful they are to have experienced her unconditional love and support.

Survivors include her daughter, Donella Danielson (Russell Ablin) of Littleton; her son, Nick Danielson (My Thuc Vong) of Englewood; her grandchildren, Katie, Josie, Jacob, and Emmy; her sisters, Terri Lindsey (Tom) of Oak Grove, Mo., and Tina Rowe (Dan) of Ocala, Fla.; and her sister-in-law, Tida Allen of Gladstone, Mo.

Jan was preceded in death by her brother, James Allen.

A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Olinger Chapel Hill in Centennial, 6601 S. Colorado Blvd.

In place of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jan’s honor to the Littleton Public Schools Foundation., 5776 S Crocker St, Littleton, Colorado 80120.