Obituary: Dahlgren, Janice Kay
Age 71
Jan Dahlgren (formerly Jan Floan with birth name Janice Kay Thompson) died peacefully at her home in Vista California, on her birthday, at age 71.
Jan is survived by her husband, John Dahlgren; her son Erik Floan; daughter Michelle Floan; grandson Derek Floan; and siblings Debbie Harrington, Robert Thompson, and William Thompson.
Jan was the eldest of her siblings, born in Boise, Idaho were she graduated from Borah High School.
As a Pi Beta Phi at the University of Idaho, she met her first husband, Gary P. Floan, a student athlete (golf and basketball).
In order to get to know her, Gary paid a nickel to dance with Jan at her sorority fundraiser.
After many nickels, Jan gave in and agreed to go out with Gary, though only for a mid-week date, as her weekend calendar was booked, indefinitely.
You see, the former Snowball Queen of the University of Idaho was once asked out 27 times in a single day.
Gary’s persistence won her heart and she left college in 1962 as a newlywed to travel on the PGA tour with her husband.
Never the wallflower, Jan took to playing golf, which became her passion - even winning a number of tournaments at her level - and creating a circle of lifelong friends.
Jan raised her children, Michelle and Erik, and lived in Spokane, Washington and were members of the Manito Country Club for over 20 years.
Both children excelled in golf and basketball, and Jan never missed an event.
After Gary’s unfortunate head injury in 1993, with little success in mental rehabilitation, Jan and Gary divorced.
Gary moved in with Michelle’s family.
With such a terrible tragedy surrounding Gary and her son, Erik, who suffers from mental illness, Jan’s life was on hold for a number of years, until she met John Dahlgren, a former Engineer for JPL/NASA.
Full of conversation and engaging stories, Jan felt her life reborn with John.
They shared a passion for golf and she thought him a wonderful, giving and loving man.
They married in the park at the Vista Valley Country Club, Vista, CA on July 11, 2004.
Jan loved sports.
She was very active and health conscious, doing yoga, Pilates, lifted weights, Jazzercise, treadmill and played golf at the Vista Valley CC every week.
Jan’s life was part tragedy and part fairytale.
She traveled many places and is survived by a loving family.
She adored her Persian cats, Omar and Gypsy.
She loved socializing with her friends at the club and going out with the girls.
She did not wallow in sadness and worry, even in recovery from breast cancer.
She certainly lived life to the fullest, as long as it was low calorie.
She will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.
A celebration of Jan’s life will be held at the Vista Valley CC on Wednesday, June 19th.