Janet M. Koopman

Click here to view video tribute.   Janet M. Koopman, 57, of Emerson, Nebraska died on Friday, August 31, 2007 at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Funeral services for Janet will be held on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at 10:30 A.M. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Emerson, Nebraska; Pastor Gretchen Ritola will be officiating. The visitation will be held on Tuesday from 3:00 until 8:00 P.M. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, with the family present from 6:00 until 8:00 P.M. There will be a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday evening at the church. Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery of Emerson. Janet was born on September 13, 1949 in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Donnel and Maxine (Johnson) Rohde. After graduating from Emerson High School in 1967, Janet received her Bachelor’s Degree from Wayne State College. On September 4, 1971, Janet was married to Dennis Koopman at Dakota City, Nebraska. The couple made their home in Emerson, Nebraska for all but two years, when they lived in Rhode Island. In the fall of 1977, Janet began teaching high-school English at Emerson-Hubbard Schools. She taught for twenty-nine years until she retired early in May of 2006. She continued to substitute teach at Emerson-Hubbard and other area schools. She was a loyal Pirate supporter and a compassionate, perceptive, and devoted teacher who had high expectations for the students at Emerson-Hubbard. During her career she served as a junior-high volleyball coach, cheerleader and pep club sponsor, student council advisor, crisis team member, quiz bowl sponsor, and senior class sponsor. For many years she organized the homecoming parade and senior graduation. Professionally, Janet was a member of EHEA, NSEA and NEA. Janet loved her family. She enjoyed attending high school events, caring for her flowers, reading, editing, organizing, and serving as a personal shopper for numerous friends. It was her shopping expertise that led to her part-time employment at Younkers. Janet is survived by her husband Dennis Koopman of Emerson, a daughter Jaclyn Koopman and her fiancé Phillip Anderson of Omaha, Nebraska, father Donnel Rohde of Rural Emerson, a brother Dennis and his wife Beth Rohde of Emerson. She was preceded in death by her mother Maxine Rohde.