Janell Kay Thordarson, 60 years old, passed away at her home in Crookston, MN after a courageous battle with cancer.
Janell was born on April 6th, 1965, at Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, MN to Richard and Catherine (Flint) Englund. She lived in Blaine, MN until she was 9 years old when she moved to Karlstad, MN. She grew up playing sports, made Homecoming Queen, and graduated from Karlstad in 1983. She was always the life of the party, befriended all, and everyone loved her.
Janell married Scott Shablow of Lake. Bronson, MN in 1986 and they created two wonderful sons, Tony and Dustin Shablow. Later, Janell met her best friend and soul mate, Gary Thordarson, when they worked together at the bus plant in Pembina, ND. They were together for 33 years, married in 2003. They combined their families and then had two beautiful daughters, Cassie and Nikki. They created a beautiful life together.
Janell was such a hard worker and had always taken pride in the work she did at various jobs she worked throughout her life. She was most recently employed at Riverview Health in Crookston, where she started out as the lead cook in the kitchen then moved to the head of environmental services. She loved her job and formed close friendships with her coworkers during her 20 years of employment at Riverview.
Janell spent most of her free time with her husband Gary and their family. She loved being outside. If there was yard work to do, she was doing it because she loved to soak up the sun. She spent a lot of time gardening, growing fresh veggies, and made the best fresh garden salsa. Her kids and grandkids were her pride and joy. She was always the first to volunteer to get down on the floor to play with her grandbabies. She loved finding the best deals online to spoil them for birthdays and Christmas.
Janell was preceded in death by her father Richard Englund (Lake Bronson, MN), mother-in-law Betty Hanson (Cavalier, ND), father-in-law Erwin Thordarson (Hardin, MT), as well as grandparents and several aunts and uncles.
She is survived by her husband Gary Thordarson of Crookston, MN, mother Cathy Englund of Lake Bronson, MN, aunts and uncles Judy (Roger) Flint of Lake Bronson, MN, Dave (Tonya) Flint of Laughlin, NV and Rita (Pat) Flint of Warroad, MN, brothers Jeff (Lari-Ann) Englund of Hallock, MN and Jeremy Englund of Crookston, MN, sons Tony (Lisa) Shablow and Dustin (Kaytlyn) Shablow of Lake Bronson, MN, daughters Cassie (Goozie) Egan of Bagley, MN and Nikki (Riley) Rarick of Crookston, MN, bonus kids Josh (Kaylee) Thordarson, Levi Thordarson, and Katrina (Erik) Larson all of Sioux Falls, SD, and grandkids Colin, Aleah, Bentlee, Tucker, Silas, Oliver, Charlotte, Ace, Opal, Cora, Eli, Jase, and Elijah.
A memorial service celebrating Janell’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025, at Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home in Crookston, Minnesota. Visitation with her family will be one hour prior to the service. Committal will be at Riverside Cemetery in Lake Bronson, Minnesota, on Saturday, June 14 at 2:00 p.m., with a light lunch to follow at Community Covenant Church.
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