Janet R. Krum age 88 of Shoreview, Minnesota and formerly of East Grand Forks, Minnesota passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Sunday December 1, 2024, at Shoreview Senior Living Memory Care.
Janet Raye Bergstrom was born on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1936, in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Edward and Gladys (McFarland) Bergstrom. The family moved from Grand Forks to Crookston, Minnesota in 1940 where Jan graduated from Crookston Central High School in 1954. After high school, Jan moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she attended the Gale Institute secretarial training program. She began working for Northwest Orient Airlines in 1954, first as a secretary, and later as a stewardess. During her years as a stewardess, Jan traveled widely and met many celebrities of the day.
During a routine stopover in Grand Forks, Jan encountered a handsome smooth-talking young man named George Krum in the airport cafe (allegedly on his coffee break). They began dating and George eventually offered Jan a full-time job as a wife and stay-at-home mom. Jan accepted this proposition, and the couple was united in marriage on September 10, 1966. They made their home in East Grand Forks where they raised four children.
Jan was a devoted wife and mother. She loved music, played the piano and saxophone, and at one point even sang in a barbershop quartet. She enjoyed arts and crafts and was a real people-person, making everyone she conversed with feel like they were someone special. She had the gift of gab and loved to laugh and tell stories. As her kids became self-sufficient, she returned to the workforce as a cashier at Morrow’s Nut House and later at the Home of Economy.
Jan retired in 1997. In 2017, she and George moved to Shoreview, Minnesota to be closer to their children. In retirement, Jan enjoyed traveling, spending time with her grandchildren, watching Minnesota Wild hockey, and admiring her large collection of curios, trinkets, and tchotchkes from around the world.
Jan was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her cousin Richard Risberg, who was like a brother to her.
Jan is survived by her loving family: daughters Kayleen (Scott) Larson of LaValle, Wisconsin; Carolyn (Derek) Weber of Wheatland, North Dakota; sons Gregg (Becky) Krum of Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Eric (Kathy) Krum of Arden Hills, Minnesota; grandchildren Amelia, Charlotte, Natalie, and William Krum.
A memorial service for Jan will take place for family and friends on Saturday, January 11, 2024, at Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home in Crookston. Visitation begins at 1:00 pm and the service at 2:00 pm with a reception immediately following the service. We invite all who loved Jan to join us in honoring her life and memory. In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial in Jan’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Online memories and condolences can be shared at www.stenshoelhouske.com/obituaries/janet-krum.
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