Janet Vivian Bohlman

Janet Vivian Bohlman, "Jan" as she was affectionately known, age 83, passed away December 9, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer.

Jan was born September 16, 1940, to George and Vivian Gillis, in Green Bay, WI. She grew up and lived in Green Bay the majority of her life. Her childhood was spent living with her parents, as well her siblings, Jim and Judy. Jan's grandparents lived with the family for a while, too, while Jan's father served in WWII. Jan's brother, Jim, is Jan's fraternal twin. The sibling rivalry between Jan and Jim was forever a trademark of their childhood, and carried into adulthood. Jan was taller for a while, but eventually Jim caught up! Their bond was incredibly strong. Jan's brother was always at the house, fixing a car of some appliance in the home, always willing to help out with the kids and with anything Jan needed. Jan's sister, Judy, was the oldest of the children, and Jan often looked up to Judy for advice. The siblings loved to play cards, especially around the holidays, and all 3 were very competitive. Jan often said her brother and sister were the "smart ones" and she deeply admired them both. She adored spending time with her family and with her dad in particular. One of the best memories Jan shared with her children was when she would get donuts with her dad before they would go to church. Jan and her father attended mass almost daily. Jan's father tragically passed away unexpectedly in a car accident when Jan was only 18 years of age. Losing her father at such a young age was particularly devastating for Jan.

Jan attended catholic school at St. Peter and Paul, then middle school at Washington Junior High, and graduated high school from Green Bay West High School in 1958.

Jan went on to marry Eugene Bohlman, who later changed his name to Jim Bohlman. Jan and Gene had 5 children together, Gene, James, Christine (aka: Tina), Tim, and Kim. Jan endured and survived years of horrific domestic violence and torture at the hands of her husband for virtually their entire marriage. Jan often said later, after divorcing Gene, that she fought to survive for the sake of her children, as she never wanted to leave them for him to raise. In risking her life, in hope of giving her children a better life, Jan went to Legal Aide and filed for divorce in 1974, while Gene was at work. That evening, law enforcement aided the removal of Gene from the home, which proved to be incredibly challenging and frightening. Divorcing your spouse in 1974 in middle America in a smaller community, knowing she was going to be raising 5 children on her own, was profoundly brave and took tremendous courage, but she did it. Jan was also able to keep the house her children had been raised in, despite the many financial challenges she faced. It was quite an accomplishment, given her very limited income, while raising 5 growing children.

Jan never remarried, but did have a few long term relationships. She always said she would never remarry, and she never did. She never wanted to have anyone control her again, or have power over her, like in her previous marriage. She always put her children first, before any relationship.

Jan was an amazing mom to her 5 children, supporting them in everything and anything they wanted to pursue. Always supportive and encouraging, no matter the obstacles she or the children faced. She raised 5 children on her own, with no financial or emotional support from her ex-husband. She went back to tech school and obtained an associate degree from Green Bay Technical College. She was a volunteer for Green Bay Head Start, and even went to Washington D.C., as a volunteer delegate to advocate for more pre-school funding from the federal government. It was the first time she flew on an airplane!

Jan worked at St. Vincent Hospital for 16 years, where she worked as a Registrar in the Admitting Department. She worked both in the Emergency Room and in the Inpatient and Outpatient Departments. She absolutely loved her job, meeting the patients and their families. She was widely known as the person who "didn't forget a face," and would remember the details of the patient's medical journey, if they were returning to the hospital after a previous admission. She adored her co-workers and loved working with all of the doctors, nurses, and hospital professionals. She was truly in her element.

Jan loved having children, loved her grandchildren, and her great granddaughter with all of her heart. She was truly meant to be a mother. She had the biggest heart, was always supportive, encouraging, loving, and instilled in her children that they could truly be anything they wanted to be, if they put their mind to it. She loved all children, including the children she was a nanny to, and often spoke of all of their accomplishments and achievements and life events with such excitement and happiness. She was a mom to so many of her children's friends, who at various times needed someone to listen to them, to support them, to encourage them and to love them. She was the neighborhood mom, she cut all of her children's hair by being self taught, and cut other kids' hair from the neighborhood. She loved baking, cooking, and playing games with her kids, sitting on the porch for talks, and watching her kids play sports. She encouraged all of her children to go see the world, go be something special, never let anyone tell you what to do or control you, to do the right thing even if you're the only voice saying it, and to always treat others like you would want to be treated. She always wanted the absolute best for any child she met, most especially her own. She never thought she had any part or shaping in what all of her children became, or her grandchildren for that matter, but she did, and in ways that are truly immeasurable.

Jan loved dancing, music, spending time with her girlfriends. She had 3 best friends, Rita, Linda, and Barb. She never drank alcohol, but instead would get a soda and dance the night away with her friends. She loved rock 'n roll music, especially Bob Seger and Neil Diamond. She would put on an album by one of those two artists, play the music loud, bake, clean the house, and dance.

Jan enjoyed reading books, knitting, and dancing. She loved swimming and taking her children to the lake whenever she could. She especially loved murder mystery books, and had her favorite authors. Jan often said, "books are my friends." She had an incredible collection of books, often passing them to her children and friends of her children, to read. She loved knitting afghans, cable stitch specifically, and would, on occasion, make one for someone special she really adored. She also knitted dish cloths, and they became a favorite for her to pass out at the annual holiday party her daughter, Kim, would have. If you received an afghan or dish cloth from Jan, know you were one of the fortunate ones.

When Jan started struggling with her eye site, she learned she was suffering from wet macular degeneration, and ultimately would go blind, in time. She was devastated. She didn't let it stop her, and she kept knitting until the very last year of her life, where she just couldn't see the words on the page or read the instructions for making the afghan stitch any longer.

Jan left St. Vincent Hospital to move to the Twin Cities, where she lived on and off for several years. She cared for her grandchildren, Jessica and Kyle, and was a nanny for several families in St. Paul, including the Hottinger's and the Johnson's. Jan also resided in Ashland, OR, for a brief period of time, also assisting with caring for her grandson, Joshua. The last 16 years were spent in Sacramento, CA, where lived with her youngest daughter, Kim, and her wife, Lisa, and helped care for her grandson, Riley. Jan spent Riley's first 16 years of life with him, before passing. Jan's bond with those she cared for, her grandchildren, and the families she was a nanny for, was like no other.

Jan survived cancer previously, having ovarian cancer in 2001. She went through surgery and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. She also had skin cancer, in which she had surgery for that too. She struggled with kidney stones and kidney infections for a number of years, with multiple hospitalizations and interventions and surgeries, but seemed to be doing better with those in recent years. But unfortunately this last visit to the ER proved to be her last, in which Jan was having significant abdominal pain, only to ignore it for too long, before she couldn't anymore. In the ER they discovered she in fact had several very large kidney stones, but the more pressing issue was the mass in her liver, with another mass appearing in her intestines, lung, and bile duct. Ultimately, the decision was made to place Jan on hospice, as she was not a candidate for treatment, given the disease progression. Spending her last weeks and days with her children, getting the opportunity to say "goodbye for now" to each of them, was her last wish. Many people don't get that chance, but she did, and for that her children are eternally grateful.

Jan will be forever be remembered as a loving mother, sister, daughter, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, cousin, and friend to so many. She was an incredible woman and mother who lived a full life. She was loved by so many and will so greatly be missed. The long talks, the words of wisdom, the big hugs, the lessons taught in a nurturing and thoughtful way, the baking and cooking secrets, the dance lessons, the hair cuts on the driveway, the incredible selfless love she gave everyone who crossed her path. To have known her is to know love.

Jan is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Jeannie Gillis, along with her children and their respective spouses, Gene Bohlman, James Bohlman, Tina (Pat) Dugan, Tim (Sheri) Bohlman, and Kim (Lisa) Ruttan, and former daughter-in-law's, Sandy and Krista. She is survived by her grandchildren, Jessica, Kyle, Marissa, Jenae, Joshua, Mikayla, Matthew, Alyssa, and Riley, and great grandchild, Ruby. She is survived by many nieces and nephews, cousins, friends and loved ones.

May she eternally rest in heaven with her mom and dad, George and Vivian; sister, Judy; many aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, and all the family animals who have preceded her in passing.

There will be a celebration of Jan's life on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at the Town of Osborn Town Hall, W3389 County Rd EE, Seymour, WI, 54165, from 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m. The family would love to see everyone come out to celebrate Jan's life. Please contact Kim Dee, daughter, ph: (916) 212-8702, for any further details, if needed.