Janet Hey, 84, of Spicer, died Sunday, March 26, 2023, at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West, Arizona from interstitial lung disease. Her funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, April 3, at Faith Lutheran Church in Spicer and will be streamed on the church’s YouTube page. Interment will be at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Faith Lutheran Church, American Lung Association, or Pride in the Tiger Foundation.
Janet Irene Hey was born October 29, 1938, in Austin, Minnesota, the daughter of Melvin and Maxine (Smith) Giese. She grew up in Harwick, Minnesota, and moved with her family to Jasper before starting 8th grade. She graduated from Jasper High School in 1956. On October 25, 1958, she married Marvin Hey at Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church. Janet and Marv lived in Jasper until 1974, when they moved to Marshall, where she went to work for Southwest Coaches. In 1975, Janet started the Southwest Tours and Travel branch of the company, and she was extremely proud of how she developed and grew the tour portion of the business. Janet and Marv purchased the company in 1988 and added Wells Bus Service of Jackson in 1991. In 2000, they sold the business to their sons and moved to their home on Lake Florida near Spicer. Janet was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Spicer. She was also a member of the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association, National School Transportation Association, and National Tour Association, where she was part of the first group to achieve the Certified Tour Professional designation. She was a strong advocate for the tourism industry and was appointed to the Minnesota Department of Tourism. She and Marv enjoyed attending industry conventions and traveling and spent the past several winters in Hawaii and Arizona. Janet enjoyed bowling and golf, and was a member of Little Crow Golf Club. She was proud to be the “putting princess” after winning the club’s putting contest and of her hole-in-one on Pines #5, the same hole on which Marv achieved his hole-in-one. Janet was a wonderful cook, and her grandkids all had their favorite meals that they requested. She was a loving wife, mom, mother-in-law, grandma, and great-grandma, and will be dearly missed by her family and many friends.
She is survived by her husband of nearly 65 years, Marv; her four children: Laurie (Tim) Auch of Sioux Falls, SD, Jayne (Paul) Anderson of Minnetonka, MN, Thomas (Jennifer) Hey of Marshall, MN, and James (Deb) Hey of Marshall; eight grandchildren: Emily (Kiel) Ford, Katie Auch, Ashley (Robby) Wolfgang, Sami Hey, Sydney Hey, Jasmine (Tabor) Martin, James Hey, and Jonathan (Michaela) Hey; five great-grandchildren: Lennon Ford, Dexter Wolfgang, and Croix, Titus and Stratton Martin; and a brother-in-law: Chuck (Marjory) Hey. She was preceded in death by her parents; Melvin and Maxine Giese; her in-laws: Cyril and Gladys Hey; her siblings: Marilyn Hoffman and William Giese; a brother-in-law: Chuck Hoffman; and a sister-in-law: Patsy Hey.
