Janice Mae Weispfening

Janice Mae Weispfening (Bjornson) ObituaryJanice Mae (Bjornson) Weispfening, 91, of Chanhassen, MN was welcomed home to Heaven on Wednesday, February 26 She passed at the JA Wedum Residential Hospice in Brooklyn Park, MN.
Janice was born October 6, 1933 in Stanley, WI, to Edward & Joyce Bjornson, joining her older sister, Jean. The hospital was brand new, and Janice, her Mom, and one other person were the only patients. Joyce was a stay at home Mom and her Ed had the fuel oil delivery business, Thompson and Bjornson Oil. She attended Stanley public schools, graduating in 1951. When they were kids, during WWII, Janice and Jean helped the war effort by pasting the customer ration tickets into a book, which Ed then turned in to the government. When the war was over, Janice said "we lost our jobs pasting the tickets."
Soon after graduation, she moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Her first residence was at the dorm for the MN School of Business, which was organized as a safe place for young women to live while they found jobs and got acclimated to the city. Her first job was at St Mary's Hospital in the business office.
In 1955, her good friend Marilyn and Marilyn's boyfriend Tiny decided that Janice should meet Donald Weispfening. They were married in 1957 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Stanley, and their friends married as well. The two couples remained friends for the rest of their lives.
Don and Janice settled in South Minneapolis. In 1962, Theresa was born. Mark arrived in 1965, and Eric in 1968. When Theresa was little, they decided that Janice should stay home with the kids. Don got a second job, and worked two jobs for many, many years.
Don was a highly skilled letterpress operator, and Janice discovered that she had a talent for top quality hand bindery work. Don would bring home work for her and sometimes the whole family would get involved in projects. This taught the kids a skill, and the value of hard work. Mark and Eric followed their parents into the printing trade, both becoming pressmen themselves.
Janice and Don decided to move out of the city, building their home in Chanhassen in 1977. Mark and Eric both had paper routes, and one day a dog followed Eric home. The kids begged their parents to keep the dog, but the owners were found. That's how they decided to adopt Smokey, a Sheltie/Shepherd mix that was the family dog and Janice's constant companion. Janice was an active parent, in charge of all the kids' activities. They have great memories of skating on the little pond behind their house and riding bikes for miles and miles,
Janice and Don joined St. Hubert Catholic Church in 1977, she served as a greeter and in many of the ladies groups.
With three kids, a dog, and a husband already working two jobs, Janice had to be frugal with the family budget. She would say "I'm cheap", but she wasn't; they were careful. Every summer they rented the same cabin near Brainerd on White Sand Lake. They took the kids to Disney World and Busch Gardens. Once the kids were grown, they took driving vacations around Lake Superior, to Canada, many trips to Duluth and Florida. Her favorite vacations, though, were the many trips to Hawaii, staying on and exploring each of the islands.
One of Janice's greatest joys was singing Alto with the Chanelaires, a ladies choir group in Chanhassen. They sang at nursing homes, memory care facilities, City activities. Her favorite songs were the oldies from the 40s and 50s. They also sang a lot of show tunes, which she enjoyed.
Don passed away on December 22, 1995, a surprise to everyone. Janice still had everyone over for their traditional Christmas Eve celebration and gift opening. She will join him at Fort Snelling.
After Don passed, Janice stayed in their home. Eric and Mark made frequent visits to mow the lawn and do home maintenance. Her lymphedema eventually progressed to the point where she couldn't manage stairs, so late in 2005 she sold the home and bought a townhome in the MIssion Hills development in Chan. She continued to host many of the Christmas and Easter celebrations until 2018, when she sold her townhome and moved to Highland Path in St. Paul, near Eric. Her main criteria when searching for a new home was that they had Mass on the premises and in-unit washer/dryers.
She loved her faith and her church. At Highland Path, her favorite activities were attending Mass and Rosary Group. She'd hop in her electric wheelchair and drive herself to Mass. She worked hard to manage her health and stay independent.
In December of last year, she started not feeling well. A trip to the Emergency Department revealed that she had a tumor in her left lung. Janice, always independent, decided to forego chemotherapy in favor of hospice.
Janice joins her husband, Don, her parents Ed and Joyce, sister Jean, and daughter Theresa. She is survived by her sons Mark (Debbie) and Eric (Paula), grandchildren Mike, Sam (Jeremy), Ailie (Christian), Jamon (Laura), Brady, Bryan (Kaylee), Kelli and Katie. Her great-grandchildren are Aidan, Eliana, Carys, Sammy, Calder, Miro, Blake, Alivia, Reese and Chozen
Janice Mae (Bjornson) Weispfening, 91, of Chanhassen, MN was welcomed home to Heaven on Wednesday, February 26 She passed at the JA Wedum Residential Hospice in Brooklyn Park, MN.
Janice was born October 6, 1933 in Stanley, WI, to Edward & Joyce Bjornson, joining her older sister, Jean. The hospital was brand new, and Janice