Janet Mary Baumhover was born October 1, 1940, at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, the first-born daughter of Ronald and Amelia (Huegerich) Schulte, and was baptized at St. Bernard’s in Breda, Iowa. When she was six years old, Janet moved with her parents to a farm outside of Westside, Iowa, where she attended St. Ann’s School and graduated in the class of 1958.
Following graduation, Janet worked as a telephone operator for the North Western Bell Telephone Company in Carroll, Iowa, and resided in a small apartment near main street with her sister Lois. It was during this time that she caught the eye of a young man at the Starline Ballroom, and after a few rejections, she finally agreed to go on a date with Leonard Baumhover.
Janet and Leonard were married on September 29, 1962, at St. Ann’s Church in Vail, Iowa, by Rev. D. L. Clark. Shortly after their wedding, Janet and Leonard received news that he had been drafted into the US Army to serve in Korea. They took every opportunity they could to be with each other; Janet went so far as to charter a plane to fly her from Sac City, Iowa to Chicago to see Leonard on leave.
While the couple first settled on a farm near Auburn, Iowa, they moved to Audubon, Iowa, in 1968, to farm and raise their growing family. Janet and Leonard raised four children, who were almost as passionate and persistent as their mother.
Janet spent many years as a homemaker and caring for her family’s farm but felt called to nourish the sick and injured in 1984 when she started a cooking position at the Audubon County Memorial Hospital. She worked at the hospital until her retirement in 2009.
Janet enjoyed cooking and was known for her culinary skills and incredible dishes. She was passionate about traveling and enjoyed snapping photographs of what she had seen and where she’d been. She loved sharing her fresh produce from the garden she tended each year with her family and friends. Janet was an active member in her community, with involvement in St. Patrick’s Catholic Women and her neighborhood club, O. D. O., and she was known to strike up conversation wherever she was in town.
Janet is preceded in death by her parents, Ronald and Amelia Schulte; parents-in-law Albert and Dora (Fehring) Baumhover; brother Ralph Schulte; siblings-in-law Ann Baumhover (in infancy), Everett Moir, Ray Baumhover, Merle Baumhover, Mary Baumhover, Loras (Diane) Baumhover, Janice Baumhover, Linda Baumhover, Jane Morrison, and Donna Stitz.
Janet is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Leonard Baumhover; her children Doug (Susan) Baumhover of Lake View, IA, Cheryl (Larry) Krestan of Melbourn, FL, Danny Baumhover of Kansas City, MO, & David (Yinia) Baumhover of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren Jayda, Dylan, Alexander, Matthew, Andrey (Natalia), & Sebastian; great-grandchildren Tomás & Sara; Her siblings Lois (Jack) Hinners, Leon (Nancy) Schulte, Myron (Shari) Schulte, Margy (Dale) Renner, Joe (Patty) Schulte, Annette (Ed) Haberl, Gary (Mary Ann) Schulte, & Kathy (Lee) Stein; sister-in-law Becky Schulte; her siblings-in-law Marita Moir, Leon “Chicken” Baumhover, Norbert Baumhover, Gene (Janet) Baumhover, Vern (Jean) Baumhover, Harry (LaVonne) Baumhover, Mark (Vivian) Baumhover, Dean Baumhover, Anne Baumhover, & Marcia (Bill Noth) Baumhover, Jim Morrison, and Mike Stitz.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Audubon, IA, with Fr. David Nkrumah as the Celebrant. Interment will take place at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery in Audubon, IA. A luncheon will be provided following the interment at the St. Patrick’s Catholic Hall.
Public visitation with family will be held from 4 -7 p.m., with the conclusion of a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 28, 2024, at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Audubon, IA.
Funeral arrangements are handled by the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Audubon, IA.