Janeth G.” Jan” (Holden) Peterseim, passed from this life on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Pleasantview Home in Kalona. A funeral service will be held Friday, May 1, 2026, at 10:30 AM at the Kalona United Methodist Church with Pastor Lisa Crow officiating. The service will be available via Livestream at the Beatty Peterseim Facebook and YouTube pages. Burial will follow at the Sharon Hill Cemetery in Kalona. Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 29, and Thursday, April 30, from 3 – 8 PM both nights at the Peterseim Funeral Home in Kalona. In lieu of flowers memorial funds may be given to the Kalona United Methodist Church, The Kalona Golf Course, the Kalona Historical Society, or Paws and More.

Janeth Glea Peterseim was born February 16, 1936, in Washington, Iowa, the daughter of Palmer G. and Margaret Ann (Mumm) Holden. She graduated from Tipton High School and worked at the Tipton State Bank, where she met a local funeral director, Harold “Short’ Peterseim. They married on October 16, 1956. Jan kept the books at the Chevrolet dealer in Cedar Rapids for several years until in 1963 she and Short moved into the funeral home in Kalona. There she served as a funeral assistant and caregiver for the rest of her life.

Community service and improvement was important to Jan. She was instrumental in starting numerous endeavors in Kalona, including helping to establish the Kalona Historical Society, spearheading the Kalona Booth at the Iowa State Fair, starting the Avenue of Flags at the Sharon Hill Cemetery in Kalona, and helping design the city hall memorial honoring Kalona’s veterans, fire fighters, and first responders. Other community improvement projects Jan was involved in included the archway designs at Sharon Hill cemetery, the streetscape quilt blocks, and the new community center project. In 2012, she was recognized by the city of Kalona for her service in making the community a better place.

Jan was a member of the Kalona United Methodist Church, The Order of the Eastern Star, Alpha Club, the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce.

She enjoyed golfing, skiing, supporting her community, and helping others. She loved her family, and her grandchildren held a special place in her heart, as did her beloved dogs, Maddie, Ruthie, Toby, and Lucy.

Survivors include her children: stepdaughter Connie (Bob) Andersen of Kalona, son Locke Peterseim of Chicago, daughter Meg (Gregg) Nagel of Wellman; six grandchildren: Erin (Bob) Froeschner of Iowa City, Jenna Andersen Hayes of Oklahoma City, OK, Sara (Rob) Mulhauser of Cincinnati, OH, Sydney Scarff of Portland, OR, Warren Scarff of Cedar Rapids, and Charlotte Nagel of Wellman; two sisters: Marcy (David) Keppy of Sun City, AZ, Linda (Craig Davison) Miller, Tipton, IA; , two brothers: Myron (Jan) Holden of Tipton, Stan Holden, Fairview, TX; sister-in -law Elaine Holden, brother-in-law Lee Kellerhals, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Preceding Jan in death were her parents, her husband Short in 2008, one brother, Arlyn Holden, two sisters: Jerylea Kellerhals and Beverly Skinner, two nephews: Barton Holden and Chad Lekwa, and a niece Rene’ Lekwa.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone for the many acts of love and kindness shown to Jan during her health journey and since her passing. We would also like to thank her doctors, nurses, and staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Rehab Clinic, Pleasantview Home, and Hospice of Washington County. You cared for her like she was family, and we are forever grateful.