Janet Ann Mauer

Janet Mauer, 87, of Caldwell, Texas, formerly of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and formerly of Le Mars, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Caldwell. Cremation services are in the care of Nobles Funeral Chapel. An inurnment graveside service honoring her life will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Memorial Cemetery in Le Mars, Iowa.

Janet was born to her parents, Robert Beely and Ethel Lillian McIntosh Mauer, on Sunday, May 28, 1939, in Le Mars, Iowa. She was a bright and eager student, quick to learn and quicker still to help someone else understand. She earned her baccalaureate degree from Iowa State University in 1961 and began her teaching career at Winterset High School in Iowa, later pursuing graduate study at the University of Minnesota. In 1965, she joined Independent School District 286 in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where she would go on to chair the Home Economics department at Brooklyn Center High School — teaching Advanced Foods, Child Development, Family Life, and Home Economics, and quietly building the everyday life skills that would carry her students long after graduation.

Her devotion to teaching did not go unnoticed. In 1974, Janet was named Teacher of the Year by the Brooklyn Center Education Association, recognized for the long hours — including weekends — she gave to her craft and for her outstanding ability in the classroom. She was a life member of the National Education Association and an active voice in the Minnesota Education Association and the Brooklyn Center Education Association, where she served as secretary. Beyond her own classroom, Janet took a special interest in mentoring new teachers, passing on not just lesson plans but the patience and heart that made her so effective. She advised the BCHS chapter of Future Homemakers of America, served as senior class adviser, and remained active in her community as a member of the Brooklyn Park Charter Commission, PEO (an educational and philanthropic organization for women), and her United Methodist church.

But it was her love of children — her own students and her family alike — that defined her. Walking alongside young people through their growth, helping them see a future for themselves, embrace difficulty, and celebrate their achievements: this was the work Janet felt called to do, and she never stopped doing it, in the classroom or around the family table. She will forever be remembered as a teacher who wanted the very best for her students, and who made sure they knew it.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Ethel Mauer, and her brother-in-law, Larry Voiles.

Janet's legacy continues through her sisters and their families — Karen and husband Jerry Blakely, Nancy J. Stackhouse, and Linda Kay Voiles — along with her many nephews Michael and wife Marni Blakely, Peter and wife Rebecca Phillips Blakely, Travis and wife Elizabeth Stackhouse, Drew Stackhouse, and Matthew and wife Molly Voiles, and nieces Julie and husband Kari Swimelar, Natalie and husband Jeff Nobles, Kimberly and husband Russell Clarke, and extended family.

Janet cherished her extended family as her own. The unconditional love she shared with her siblings and their families will always hold a place in their hearts. Her nephews and nieces were her bonus children in life — Aunt Jannie was a source of fun adventures, gentle encouragement, and simple joy to be around, right to the very end.