Janet Sue (Tjaden) Zumach, age 85 of Lake View, IA, passed away on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at Twilight Acres in Wall Lake, IA. Janet was born October 5, 1939, in Carroll, IA, to Harold and Florence (Westering) Tjaden. She joined an older sister and brother, Shirlee and Don, followed later by a younger sister, Judy. Growing up on “the hill”, she waited tables at Tjaden’s Cafe, cleaned motel rooms and helped to provide full service at the filling station, Tjaden Oil Company.
Janet was confirmed in the Methodist church. She was Worthy Advisor in the local order of Rainbow for girls, a Masonic youth service organization, and went on to hold a state office at the Iowa Grand Assembly in Cedar Rapids.
She enjoyed playing basketball, singing in the chorus and playing oboe in the school band, as well as in other area bands. She graduated in 1957 from Lake View High School.
Janet attended Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) for 4 years earning a degree in education. She dedicated her life to teaching early elementary students with some of those years specializing in general music. Throughout her lifetime, she taught in several communities including Ruthven, Odebolt, Carroll, Lake View, Fonda and Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Jan had high expectations for her students and for herself as a teacher, putting in many extra hours after school. She was known to speak her mind and did not shy away from teachable moments, even if it meant there would be confrontation.
On June 8, 1963, Jan married Gary Zumach to whom she was deeply committed. Their marriage would span 54 years. Early on they lived in Sioux City, Breda, and Lake View. In 1968, they became proud parents of a daughter, Julie. Ten years later, another daughter, Katie was born. Jan balanced nurturing her family with teaching and being involved in the community.
In 1978, the family moved to Fonda, IA. Playing organ at First Lutheran Church, teaching 1st and 2nd grade combined classroom in Varina and backing Gary in their business, Zumach Sales. Jan and Gary enjoyed being members of the local euchre card club where they cemented friendships that would last a lifetime.
Over the years, Jan would support her family in every way imaginable. She never missed an activity in which her daughters participated. Whether it was a home or away ballgame or a concert a couple of hours away, she was determined to be there to encourage her girls.
In 1990, Jan supported Gary in pursuing his lifelong dream of owning a zoo. They purchased Warbonnet Zoo and moved to Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. Gary, Jan, and Katie spent 14 years caring for the animals and sharing them with the public. They raised lions, tigers and bears, plus many other exotic animals! Jan was the backbone of the operation, always quietly doing something to contribute. Her favorite part of the zoo was caring for and feeding the baby animals, watching them grow, and raising hedgehogs.
Jan was an avid sports fan! She rarely missed her daughters’ games. She enjoyed watching her daughters play, but she also supported her nieces and nephews and later their children. Jan made it a priority to attend as many activities as possible for her grandkids.
In 2005, Jan and Gary moved back to Lake View, returning to the small town they both loved. Jan enjoyed giving organ and piano lessons to students of all ages in her retirement. Jan loved riding around the lake, playing euchre and bridge. She enjoyed being a member of various bridge clubs over the years. For her enjoyment she would put puzzles together or sit at the piano and play and sing hymns. And of course she loved watching sports on TV and a good game show every now and then.
Courageously daring to live out the dream of being a zoo owner and having the ability to find the silver lining in any cloud, Jan modeled how to live life. She eagerly made decisions to make home improvements and purchase HER first car, all on her own.
Determined to live independently in her home in Lake View, she did so successfully until about the last year of her life. Her tenacity and resolution helped her to succeed where the possibility of failure was real. She was a strong role model for her daughters and grandchildren holding down a career all while being a loving mother.
Janet is survived by her 2 daughters, Julie Kayser (Doug) of Ankeny, and Katie Hoffer (Josh) of Sheboygan Falls, WI; 6 grandchildren: Elizabeth Hill of Springville, Hannah DenHerder of Des Moines, John DenHerder of Duluth, MN, Sarah DenHerder of Ames, Gabe Hoffer and Ainsley Hoffer of Sheboygan Falls, WI; 1 great-grandchild Anaiyah Hill; sisters Shirlee Ashbaugh of Rockwell City and Judy Stehr of Ames; sister-in-law Donna Tjaden of Iowa City; many nieces, nephews, other extended family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Gary Zumach; parents Harold and Florence Tjaden; her parents-in-law Alvin and Gertrude Zumach; her brother Don Tjaden; her brothers-in-law Gene Ashbaugh and Bob Stehr; and 1 great grandchild, Boaz Hill.
