Janet Cecile (Wilson) Hyatt, 81, of Grantsburg, Wisconsin, was welcomed into her eternal home on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. As a mother, sister, grandmother, aunt and friend, she lived independently for all but the last three weeks of her life and, with family by her side, the Lord called Janet home sooner than anticipated.
Janet was born to Clark Emerson Wilson and Edna Mildred (Sommerville) Wilson in Winfield, Illinois, on Nov. 12, 1941. The family moved to Embarrass, Minnesota, in 1956, where she lived on the family farm as one of 12 children. A 1959 graduate of Embarrass High School, Janet attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, where her love of playing the clarinet was cultivated by her teacher, Robert Beverly. She met her future husband, Kenneth Duane (Hietala) Hyatt, in the music building at UMD, and they married on Aug. 3, 1963, in Duluth. Before their final move to Grantsburg in 1973, they lived in Texas, California, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Virginia and Iowa. They were married for 54 years until Ken's death in 2018.
Music education was Janet's passion, teaching elementary school music in Grantsburg for 29 years, preceded by elementary music teaching in Texas and California. With unwavering dedication, Janet also cultivated the musical skills of her four children over many years of weekly trips to the Twin Cities for instrument lessons and youth orchestra rehearsals, forming a woodwind quintet who played together at home and for family events. For 33 years, Janet was an active member of several Twin Cities community bands – Seward Band, Roseville Community Band and Star of the North Band. After retiring in 2002, she carried out her vision to provide an outlet for adults to continue playing their instruments beyond high school and college. With the assistance of the ISD 12 Centennial School District in Circle Pines, Minnesota, Janet co-founded the Centennial Community Band and was the first president and librarian of the ensemble, playing in the group until 2020. What began with less than 20 players in 2003 is now a well-established concert band of 60 musicians, who honored Janet at their recent 20th anniversary concert.
In addition to music, Janet was an excellent seamstress and an avid gardener who loved tending gardens on the property that she meticulously maintained for nearly 50 years. However, her greatest joy was spending time with her six grandchildren. Each of them also excelled in music, and she loved attending many of their concerts and other events.
Janet is survived by daughters, Kerri (Dan) LeJeune of Circle Pines, Kim (Cassian) Lee of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and Kami Hyatt of Circle Pines; son, Kirk (Jennifer) Hyatt of Cumberland, Wisconsin; grandchildren, Emilie and Kennan LeJeune, Kalina and Carissa Lee, and Ania and Siri Hyatt; sisters, Carol Carlson, Marian Milbridge and Helen Hall; and brothers, Wendell, Dwight, Mark, Myron, Nelson and Brian Wilson and their families.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clark and Edna Wilson; husband, Ken Hyatt; and brothers, Marvin and Layne Wilson.
Janet will be dearly missed by her family and friends, but they are also at peace knowing she is physically restored and in the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She will be fondly remembered for her spirited personality, infectious laugh and passion for living, loving and learning. On Saturday, July 1, a celebration of Janet's life will be held at the Grantsburg Community Center, 316 S. Brad St., Grantsburg. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a 2 p.m. service, and reception to follow. All are welcome to attend this celebration service. A private interment will take place at Riverside Cemetery, Grantsburg.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Continuing Care Center of Burnett Medical Center for their dedication and gracious care during Janet's brief stay. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in her honor to World Vision, worldvision.org, or Centennial Community Band, centennialcommunityband.org. Condolences and memories can be shared at the Swanson Funeral Chapel, Pine City, Minnesota, homepage, FuneralAndCremationService.com
