Janelle Pavlovec

Friday, February 9, 2024 7:18 pm

Janelle Pavlovec, age 83, of Decorah, passed away on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at Chosen Valley Care Center in Chatfield, Minn.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16, at the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Spillville. Burial will be in the church cemetery, with Rev. Henry Huber presiding. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service at the church on Friday morning.

Helms Funeral Home is assisting with the arrangements.

Janelle was born at the Decorah hospital and lived her first two years on a farm near Spillville, Iowa. In 1942 the family moved to Calmar. She was born to Joseph Frank and Idella (Swehla) Pavlovec. They had two girls, Janelle and Rebecca (Becky) Fenger.

Janelle attended school in Calmar at the catholic school and graduated high school. Following high school, she attended nursing school and graduated as an LPN. She then worked at Mayo Clinic.

In 1964 she gave birth to her only child, Jason Pavlovec. She had one great love in her life, they traveled the world. Janelle enjoyed horses, dancing, travelling, collecting antiques, houses, and architecture of historic buildings. Her community was very important, and she was active in many areas. She loved and promoted Bily Clocks and Dvorak Festival in Spillville. She attended town meetings and voiced her opinions freely. She was proud of her Czech heritage and could tell you who was who. She was always on the hunt for a good apricot Kolache!

After her parents passed, she took over Pavlovec Rock Company. She lived her adult life in Calmar, then Decorah. Janelle went to auctions, plays, enjoyed classical music, public radio, and her newspaper. Her favorite was Dr. Zhivago and Lara’s. She loved gardening, visiting her many friends and showing off her latest auction finds. She strived to bring people together no matter the distance by sending a letter, card, or a phone call.

Janelle many many friends, a few enemies, and enjoyed interacting with them all!