~ Biographical Sketch ~

     Janet Grace Neuendorf was born on Wednesday, January 23, 1929 in Sparta, Monroe County, Wisconsin, daughter of Herman August Neuendorf and Augusta Ottielia Reetz. She was the only one of her siblings to be born in a hospital. Her mother brought her home from the hospital by train as far as Tomah, then because of the snow they traveled the rest of the way home by horse and sleigh. Janet Grace Neuendorf was also known as Jeanette G. Neuendorf.²

Janet appeared on the Tomah, Monroe County, Wisconsin, census of April 19, 1930 in the household of Herman August Neuendorf. She is recorded as a white female age one year old. She was born in Wisconsin, as were her parents..²

When she was about six or seven years old Janet was the flower girl in her sister Nona's and Vic Steffin's wedding.^1
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Janet recalls that her father's sister Emma Amelia Waltman, a widow, lived with their family in Dubuque, Iowa. Emma helped with household chores, cooking, etc., (possibly as a hired person). At the time, Janet's family lived upstairs on Central St. in Dubuque and ran the City Coal Company from the street level storefront downstairs. Janet remembers coming home from school and Emma would be there to assist while Janet's parents were busy downstairs.

In her early teens, Janet idolized Clark Gable the movie star. She had collected numerous pictures of him which she posted in a special corner of her room. She came home from school one day to find that Emma had torn down and thrown away all of the pictures because she thought that Janet's infatuation with Clark Gable was foolish. Also, Janet remembers that "One Sunday when the family went to church, Emma stayed home. When they returned, Emma told them that she had heard on the radio that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor.¹"

Janet was 11 or 12 years old when the Dubuque Bible Church began and was a charter member. She recalls teaching junior church along with Ken Noyes, and they were instrumental in starting a young peoples group, and, after what seemed like a "long time" had a wonderful group. Many from this group went into fulltime Christian service. Janet surmises that because she was so involved in doing things in the church, she didn't have thoughts of straying from the Lord as many teenagers seem to do.¹

Don and Janet Neuendorf first met at a prayer meeting at the Dubuque Bible Church and discovered they were attending the same high school. Don was a senior. Their first date was to a senior class play. They dated for three years.¹

A bridal shower was given on Wednesday, June 29, 1949, in Janet's honor by her mother and sister, Augusta Ottielia Neuendorf and Ione Anita Oberbroeckling.⁴ She received many lovely Bridal Shower Gifts with which to begin housekeeping.⁴

At age 20, Janet married Don Smith on July 1, 1949 at the ministerial home of Dr. William E. Pietsch in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa. Don was 21 years old. He was the son of Emmet Willard Smith and Grace Elda Lenhart. It was raining very hard that day. Only the families were invited and were in attendance. A wedding dinner was hosted by Janet's widowed mother, Mrs. Augusta Neuendorf, in her home. Don and Janet spent their honeymoon at Wisconsin Dells.^1,5

Janet was 21 when she gave birth to their son Don Emmet (Jr.) on Wednesday, June 7, 1950, in St. Joseph's Hospital, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Janet gave birth to her daughter Julie Ann on Thursday, January 24, 1952, in St. Joseph's Hospital, in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri. Janet was 23 years old.

Janet was 24 when she gave birth to their daughter Susan Joy on Wednesday, September 30, 1953, in St. Joseph's Hospital, in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri.⁶

By the end of his last year in Bible school, Don and Janet were sure the Lord was leading them to be missionaries to the Navajo Indians in New Mexico. By this time they had three small children - the youngest being only nine months old. They arrived at Huerfano, New Mexico on June 5, 1954. Their ministry with Berean Mission was mostly general work, such as home evangelism and camp meetings, children's Bible classes, Navajo language study, Bible teaching, and personal discipleship. Don also assisted in building-construction on the mission complex and was instrumental in construction of the boarding school at Huerfano. Janet taught the womens quilting and Bible study classes, as well as Navajo reading classes.¹

After 1960 their ministry included reaching Navajo young people through a correspondence program. This led them to move to Flagstaff, Arizona in 1965 at which time they joined the United Indian Mission (UIM International) and began a printing ministry to produce Christian study materials for Native Americans.¹

Janet was 32 when she gave birth to their daughter Roxie Jean on Saturday, November 25, 1961, in Farmington, San Juan County, New Mexico.⁶

On July 21, 1972, her daughter, Julie, married Charles Marshall Bergeron.⁶

On January 5, 1974, her son, Don, married Rebecca Timmons.⁶

On June 12, 1981, her daughter, Susan, married Lorne Arthur Noyes.⁶

On June 4, 1982, her daughter, Roxie, married Ernest Benjamin Geeting.⁶

She became a widow at age 60 when her husband, Don, died on June 23, 1989 in Flagstaff.⁶

While in her late teens, Janet composed the music and wrote the words the following song:

Brother, don't you care if they should die?
Brother, those who have their Lord denied-
Win them from all sin and despair.
Brother, don't you care?

Brother, won't you do as Christ has said,
"Preach the Gospel everywhere."
Won't you tell of the Christ who died - Brother, don't you care.⁷

In October, 2003, Janet retired from active duties with United Indian Missions.⁶

Janet died on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. She was 78 years old.^6
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