Janet “Cookie” West, age 81 of Tracy, passed away Friday, April 21, 2023 at Prairie Home Hospice McLaughlin House in Marshall. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2023 at the Tracy Area Funeral Home. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will be in Bethel Cemetery near Garvin. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Janet “Cookie” West was born Easter Sunday, April 5, 1942 to Darvin Alfred and Leah Mae Beckley Williams in Tracy, Minnesota. Most of her childhood was spent in Amiret where she earned her nickname “Cookie” when the neighbors discovered her love of cookies. She was baptized and confirmed in the Amiret Methodist Church. She attended the Amiret grade school through 6th grade. During high school, she kept busy helping at the family gas station and got to test drive her dad’s stockcar “Dirty 30”. She helped start the first girl’s auto mechanics class at Tracy High. Cookie loved to swim and traveled around southern Minnesota with the watershow. She was a member of 4-H, FHA, Girl’s Athletic Association, Choir, and was voted Homecoming Queen in 1960. She married Larry John Walterman that year. He was later killed in Vietnam. In 1968, Janet and David (her Davey) Lee West were married. She loved the Lord and was a member of the Garvin Congregational Church & Ladies Fellowship and taught Sunday School & Bible School. She was very artistic and crafty. Cookie loved sewing, quilting, embroidery and art. Her family was blessed with many cozy blankets and vibrant pictures. She was an amazing cook & baker, putting her love and boundless energy into everything she did. She was the 37th person in Minnesota to become a registered CNA. She worked for 50 years in healthcare, first as a CNA & then as an activities director. Later in life, Cookie and Dave loved to cruise to car shows in their 1940 Ford “Sweet Pea”. She was so very proud of her children. She had a wonderful life with family, friends and good music even through all of the ups and downs.
Janet is survived by her children: Jay (Liz) Walterman, Mark (Julie) Walterman, Lori (Terry) Hogan, Cindy (Jeff) Wallin, Julie (Brian) Miest, Tonja (Marty) Hafner, Brandon (Shannon) West, Ryan (Cindy) West; grandchildren: Alora (Kellen) Blaser, Evan (Megan) Walterman, Kylie (Jon) Braegelmann, Jack & Sarah Walterman, Maura (Tim) Moan, Sean & Liam Hogan, Jordan & Jared Wallin, Justin (Caitlin), Paige & Lindsey Miest, Austen & Deven Hafner, Amber (Sam) Karadi, Alicia & Hannah West, Austin, Marissa (Jon) & Owen West; great grandchildren: Addison & Ray, Noah & Eli, Mathilde, Ernest, Brayden & Lincoln; sister Debra Galvin and by many other relatives. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband David, son Lance Richard Walterman, and brother Bob.
