Janette Viola Litzau

Janette Viola Litzau, age 92, of Litchfield, MN passed away on Friday, December 12, 2025. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Saint Matthew’s United Church of Christ in Forest City, MN. A visitation will be held from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Interment will be at Forest City Cemetery.

Janette Viola (Rohrbeck) Litzau was born on December 4, 1933, in Forest City, Minnesota to Arthur and Elsie (Ross) Rohrbeck. She was baptized at St. Matthews Church in Forest City. Janette went to school at District 67 in Forest Prairie Township through the 8th grade. In 1951 Janette was working for the Pancake family in Forest City and staying with her sister Ollie and Jiggs Kielty. Evenings she and her friends would socialize at the Riverside Store. It was here that she met the love of her life, John Litzau. John proposed in early 1952 and was told if they were going to get married it would have to be before he left for the service. With the Korean War going on, John had been drafted. John and Janette were married on April 12, 1952 at St. Matthews United Church of Christ in Forest City. Witnesses to the marriage were sister and brother-in-law Margy and Doc Lennox. John left for military service on April 14, 1952, just two days after their wedding. John served in the United States Marine Corp. in the U.S. and Japan until his discharge date on March 22, 1954.When John returned home, they lived in Glencoe for five months, then moved to Forest City. They lived in Forest City until 1955 when they moved back to Glencoe. They lived in Glencoe, and on February 3, 1960, the family received word that John was killed when his semi-truck jackknifed on a road near Duluth.

After John’s death Janette lived in Forest City and raised her four children there. This move kept her close to her parents and siblings. They were a close family and her support system. She and her sisters had a special bond. She was always known as “Aunt Nettie” by her many nieces and nephews. Janette started working for Ted and Hildur Wilson, who owned the Fairway Store in Forest City, when she was 13 years old, and continued working for them when she moved back to Forest City. She worked for them off and on for 25 years. She cleaned house for Hildur, and Ted taught her how to run the register and man the store. In 1974 she began working as a cook for the school system in Litchfield. She started at the Ripley Elementary School, then became the head cook at the Senior High in 1979. She worked there until her retirement in 2005. Janette was an active member at St. Matthews and taught Sunday School and Bible School for many years, always in the Nursery Class. She sang in the choir and was involved with Women’s Circle and served as Chair for the afternoon group in the 1980’s.

Janette loved to cook and holidays at her home were like going to “Old Country Buffet.” She enjoyed playing cards and was always up for a game of “Aggravation.” Of course, she really didn’t like knocking people off the board – especially the grandkids. Many afternoons recently were spent playing with Janie, Cele and Jeremy. Janette had eight grandchildren, and they were the light of her life. She doted on them and seemed to always have one or more of them spending the night with her. They played card games and board games and were just happy to hang out with Grandma. She also had 16 great grandchildren who filled in the spots as the grandchildren grew older. She lived in Forest City until her son Jeff and daughter-in-law Linda built her a home in Litchfield in 2003. The family moved her into her new home and she lived there until the time of her passing.

Janette is survived by her children John (Jack) and Sue Litzau, Jeff and Linda Litzau, Julie and Dwight Schrum, Janie Litzau. Grandchildren Angela (David) Smith, Steven (Maggie) Litzau, Rodney (Natasha) Litzau, Stephanie (Jay) Houghton, Jim Litzau, Jeremy Koelln, Jennifer (Fritz) Nordmann, David (Katie) Schrum. Great Grandchildren Taylar (Owen) Boerema, Brenden Smith, McKenna, Haley & Emma Litzau, Maggie & Celia Houghton, Maddy, Ronan, Rory & Reggie Litzau, Olivia Schrum, Riley Nordmann, Decker, Hudson and Phoebe Litzau. Sisters Wanda Litzau and Cecile Hoyer. Sisters-in-law Sharon (Alan) Mielke, Audrey Litzau, and Donna Litzau.

She was preceded in death by her husband John, her parents, Art and Elsie Rohrbeck, Sisters Irene Meline, Vivian Lies, Ollie Haines, Margy Lennox, Betty Bowatz, Brothers Richard Rohrbeck, Earl Rohrbeck and Dudley Rohrbeck.