Janet E. Friederick

CASSVILLE - Janet Elizabeth Kieler Friederick of Cassville WI, died suddenly of natural causes at home on Friday, December 22, 2023. Janet was the first born of Francis and Margaretta Kieler of Kieler, WI. She had placed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is now at peace at her new home in heaven.

Janet’s early home life was quite interesting! In 1944, two brothers (Francis and Martin) married two sisters (Margaretta and Marcella) and they all lived in the same house while working together on the family farm for the first 9 years of their marriage. There were 10 people in all living in one house. Spouses, siblings, cousins, aunts & uncles. Remember, these were post Great Depression times, and apparently this was not all that uncommon.

   Janet attended Catholic school at Immaculate Conception in Kieler, WI and then high school in Cuba City, graduating in 1964. She received her license in cosmetology from the Capri School of Cosmetology out of Dubuque, IA in 1966. Mom said her hair was green when she graduated because all the students used to practice hair dying on each other then. See! Janet really was ahead of her time!

   About this time she met her husband to be, Leo Friederick, and they were married on April 16, 1966 at Immaculate Conception in Kieler.  

   Janet & Leo opened their long running and successful business in Dickeyville in 1968 with the lease of a Phillips 66 full-service station and later they owned a Union 76 station in the same town. Janet did hair for extra cash in her home early on while raising kids. She became the face of the business at the counter of Leo’s 76 convenience store when the kids were older. I can still remember addressing envelopes by hand and licking stamps and envelopes at the kitchen table on Sunday to get the customer statements sent out!

   Janet enjoyed reading, boating, cooking, plants, fishing, writing letters and serving others. There are countless numbers of us who have received a sweet nugget of encouragement with a note and a Bible verse from her at just the right time. She had an amazing aptitude to surround one with compassion while not judging their trouble as she listened patiently and served their needs. One of her most redeeming qualities was her willingness to just spend time with people. A beautiful quality that has become so very scarce in recent times. But, this is what folks will miss the most….You could always count on Janet to have an open door, an inviting smile and a warm cup of coffee for any soul. Her walk through this life exemplified the walk of a Christian in act and in conduct. She truly was a beloved individual.

   Janet’s oldest daughter is Jill (Tim) Burger from Sugar Hill, NH. Her son Lee (Amy) Friederick hail from Winneconne, WI. Janet and Leo also had a third daughter named Sarah Elizabeth Friederick, this child preceded them in death in 1981.

These four grand grandchildren truly were the apple of her eye…Jacob (Ana) Friederick, Emily Friederick, Quincy Burger and Evelyn Burger…and they all loved Grandma just as much as she loved them. Janet’s siblings include Joni (Gary) Studier, Gary (Peggy) Kieler, Frank Kieler, and Bonnie (Pete) Maring; all of the Tri-State area.

   Janet would be honored by family and friends who called on her on Friday, January 5, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. for her wake at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Kieler. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., also at Immaculate Conception in Kieler. Burial will be held in Immaculate Conception Cemetery.  A lunch will be served at PJ’s Pub & Hall for our guests following the burial on Saturday.  Martin Schwartz Funeral Home & Crematory in Cassville is assisting the family.

   Because of her love for books and her desire to support local resources, we are sure that Janet would like any contributions directed to this favorite organization in lieu of flowers: Eckstein Memorial Library

1034 E. Dewey St., Cassville, WI 53806 (608-725-5838).

Lord, where has the time gone? How impossible is it to capture a life so well lived in such a short statement?

Just a little bit of joy has left with you, mom. Yet you somehow left us with more blessings than sorrow. Only you could pull that off.