Jan Van Hoesen

I'm sorry to hear this. Jan was such a lovely lady and a pioneer to women in the taxidermy industry. Danny judged with her many times and always appreciated her great knowledge of all things natural history and taxidermy. At one UTA show the judges drew pictures of their area of specialization on the clipboards they were using for judging. The artwork was then auctioned off to help raise money for the UTA. Danny and I are the proud owners of Jan's picture- a bobcat head. We will treasure it always. Rest in peace, my friend.

 

Sorry To hear of Jans passing

 

So sad to hear this. Just saw her at the World show and we visited and were remembering our times we judged together. Very Knowledgable and sweet lady.. RIP Jan. What a surprise.

 

A great loss to our industry, our condolences to the family.

 

I just learned of her passing. Rest in Peace, dear Lady. You will be missed by many. She always had a smile, and always made it a point to come over and talk to my wife and me. My sincerest condolences to her family and friends ...

 

Jan D. VanHoesen, 75, born May 5, 1942 in Mt. Pleasant, MI, passed away December 1, 2017. Jan was a former science teacher in Leslie and Rogers City, MI and was an internationally recognized small mammal taxidermist. She was the founding member of United Taxidermy Assoc.; former president of Michigan Taxidermy Assoc., and very involved in the Zonta Club of Rogers City.
Jan is survived by her sons, John (Lori) and Jay (Nicole) VanHoesen; five grandchildren: Adam, Mary, Tory, Clara and Elizabeth, and sister Pamela Dengler. She was preceded in death by husband of 49 years, Jim, parents Robert and C. Joyce (Kincaid) KIine, and nephew Christopher Dengler.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at Peters & Murray Funeral Home, Grand Ledge, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. until service time. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Zonta Club of Rogers City, 377 North 3rd St., Rogers City, MI 49779 or National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Dr., Reston, VA 20190.
www.petersandmurrayfuneralhome.com

 

My Brother John and I thank you all for the wonderful comments. Our family really appreciates the words of love and support.

Jay Van Hoesen

 

I met Jan in 1992 in Gainsville GA. at the world show where she had her magnificent bobcat laying on it's back in a bed of moss. Then I saw her again at the Conn. show and we discussed my Taxidermy Today article on making animal ear liners out of felt and Bondo. A great lady and admired by many including myself. Keep the gates open for me Jan.

 

She deserves to have a special award named for her , like the Inchumick award ....... most innovative, expressionism etc. somebody can work out details but Van Housen is a name that should be remembered at all NTA competitions.

 

We were neighbors by Northern Michigan standards. Nice lady. Sorry to hear this...

 

Very sad news to hear,Jan was truly an Icon in this industry,She was one of the first UTA Board members.I had the privilege to judge with her several times and learned a lot from this beautiful lady.She will truly be missed.

Blessings Jan,
May you rest in the Lord's peace.

 

This is a tremendous loss to our industry. Condolences and prayers to friends and family

Fred Barilla

 

Very sad news I never had the chance to meet her, but I admired her work very much. Twice I reached out to her with a question, and twice I got a very detailed answer from her. RIP and prayers to your family.

 

On behalf of the NTA, which Jan was a former board member of, we wish to express our deepest condolences to her family and friends. A true icon of our industry, Jan will be sorely missed and forever remembered. Thank You Jan for all you gave to our industry. May you rest in peace.

 

I know for certain that we never lost Jan, even to death. Her teachings and talents will continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make while mounting any small mammal. Her love for nature and taxidermy leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We all will comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having known her as an artist and her love for taxidermy. I was so blessed to have spent a great deal of time with Jan and Jim at our home many times and also working with her in Rogers City, at the Rogers City Zoo as I called it.

When you think about Jan the artist we looked at her as one of our icons, and you assume she was instantly embraced. That usually was not the case. In reality, she had to overcome a lot of noes to get where she wanted to be. We taxidermists are childish about our celebrities and icons. We worship, then we denounce; we identify passionately with them and then, if they do something - anything - we dislike, we cast them off. She was blunt, stubborn, independent, forthright and stood for all that was right, as was evident at the NTA convention at Buffalo in 1997. But she never gave up her cause and went on to become a force in helping to form the UTA which she was so proud of.

I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Jan's love for the taxidermy and taxidermists will leave an indelible imprint in our memories. We will all find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared the life of Jan Van Hoesen.

 

had she been ill or was this something sudden?

 

Such sad news, I also met Jan at the 1992 WTC. Our industry was fortunate to experience her talent and creativity -
Thank you Jan,
God bless,
Jeff

 

It was a short illness starting just 12 days prior (at least as far as she or we knew). Unfortunately, she had a relapse of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), but this time it was accompanied by leukemia (AML). These conditions so compromised her immune system that she developed significant respiratory infections that she just couldn't fight off.

She went quietly with her family by her side. We will miss her dearly as will many others she has touched over the years. - John Van hoesen

 

thank you for the information john , many of us were wondering.

 

As many of you, I too met her first at the '92 world show...and I have spoken of her or referenced her ever since. She has always been one of my taxidermist heroes! God speed Jan