Our beautiful, Down Syndrome, Angel, Princess Sister, Aunt and Great Aunt passed away on September 26th, 2021. After falling in October 2016 due to a heart condition, which ultimately left her with limited use of her hands and legs, she battled through sickness, the Pandemic, where family were unable to visit her for months on end, and through all that time she continued to touch people’s lives.
JaNae left this earth peacefully and joined our Mom and Dad on the other side with great celebration and joy. We know our parents were always with her since they passed away, giving her love and comfort. We can only imagine how great of a reunion they had when our parents came and took her in their loving arms and home to Heaven. JaNae was finally released from her earthly body and became the perfect angel free to fly. She has always had an incredible testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I doubt there were too many Fast and Testimony meetings where she didn’t make sure she shared her testimony. If you ever had the opportunity to hear it, you knew how special she was and how much she loved Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father and her family.
JaNae had the ability to touch and bring joy to anyone she met. She loved giving and receiving hugs and would not hesitate to just wrap you up in her arms. JaNae lived a wonderful life, where she worked for 37 years at Deseret Industries and graduated from Hartvigsen Special Education school. She loved anything Disney, especially all the Princesses. JaNae was truly a Princess and at the Care Center people that didn’t know her name knew her as “The Princess”.
JaNae loved to sing, dance and perform, and took any opportunity to put on a show. She was the star of many programs, especially playing Mary in the Nativity scene for Special Mutual. She was so talented and could hand paint any picture, especially Disney. Her hero was Bob Ross and she would spend hours painting along with him. JaNae spent years competing in the Special Olympics in bowling, track, skiing, swimming, basketball and softball, where she received countless metals and ribbons. She also participated at Camp Kostopoulos doing horse back riding, Jazz games, camping, etc. JaNae truly lived life to the fullest.
The love JaNae has for family and friends is immeasurable. The holidays and Sunday nights at our parents’ house was such a joy. Halloween and Christmas were her favorite, along with her birthday. Experiencing the excitement on her face whenever she opened a present was priceless.
We want to truly thank all the many caregivers at Highland Care, and recently Inspiration Home and Hospice, for their tender love and support over the past 5 years. They truly loved JaNae and she was part of the Highland Care family. Also, a very special thank you to her life coaches she had throughout the years, that helped her grow her independence, life skills, and became part of our family.
JaNae is survived by her sister’s and brother, Julene (David) Goaslind, Jody (Chad) Newsome, Brent (Lisa) Van Tussenbroek, Traci (Gordon) Raymond; 13 Nieces and Nephews, 24 Great-Nieces and Nephews. She was proceeded in death by our parents Adrian and Janice Van Tussenbroek.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 30th, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the Valley View LDS Stake Center, 2245 E. 3900 So., in Salt Lake City, Utah. The graveside dedication will start at approximately 12:30 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 So. Highland Drive, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Masks are encouraged. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be sent to the Special Olympics. support.specialolympics.org. The services can also be watched live on YouTube using this link; https://youtu.be/oEb9erUjilM.
