Janet (Rahe) Hennekens, age 78, died Thursday February 13, 2025, at Mount Carmel Bluffs in Dubuque, Iowa.  A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 5 at a venue to be determined.  Janet will be interred with Bill at the Northern Wisconsin Veteran’s Memorial near Spooner, Wisconsin.

Janet, daughter of Gilbert and Florabelle Rahe, was raised on the family farm northeast of Dyersville and attended the Xavier Catholic School system.  After graduating from high school and being impressed by “the land of sky- blue- waters” on a Hamm’s beer commercial, Janet headed to the North Woods and never looked back.  She earned her undergraduate degree from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.   

She began her career as Miss Janet on Romper Room, a popular children’s television program at the time. She next worked in student services at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and eventually became the Superior, Wisconsin, City Clerk.  She and Bill later moved to Minneapolis where she was involved with the implementation and training of software systems used by school districts across the country.

Upon retirement, Janet and Bill built their dream home in the woods near Solon Springs, Wisconsin. After Bill’s death in 2017, Janet returned to Iowa to be close to her family. She spent her remaining years at Eagle Pointe Place Retirement Community in Dubuque.

Janet is survived by her siblings, Mary Kay Matisheck, Lois Noel, Doris (Gary) Brown, Dewayne (Krystal) Rahe, Marsha (Mark) Hauser, Carmen (Jim) Epstein, Keith (Jacque) Rahe, Colleen Mormann, Michelle Rahe and her sister-in-law Nikki Rahe, along with many nieces and nephews.  Janet was preceded in death by her husband Bill Hennekens, her parents, and her brother John Rahe.

Janet’s family would like to thank Chelsea McElmeel from Eagle Pointe Place (EPP) for her friendship with Janet and being a bright spot in her life at EPP. They would also like to thank the staff at The Gables at Mount Carmel Bluffs for Janet’s care during her final days.