Thursday, March 6, 2025
Having grown up in a two-boys family, I never had an older sister to confide in or ask advice from. My older cousin, Jan Mather, served not only as one of my favorite cousins, but also as a trusted sounding board as I grew up. The times we spent at their home in Marshalltown, their farm in West Branch, and of course the wonderful weeks up at Whitehill Haven on Turtle River Lake near Bemidji, Minnesota will live with me forever. My younger brother Rex, who died in 2012, and I could hardly wait to make the long trip up to Bemidji from Omaha for a week in the summers, and having fun with Jan and all the aunts and uncles and cousins from the Rex family was a huge part of that. Jan was always fun, wise, and honest with us, and she served as the trusted sister we didn't have.
In more recent years, Jan would sometimes organize a "Cousins' Reunion" in Iowa, and my wife Clare and I, as well as Ken and my cousins (Dave and Syl Rex) would gather to take in a stage show in Des Moines, not only for entertainment, but just to help keep the old Cousins' Spark alive. None of us ever forgot the great family adventures we all shared growing up, and we had Jan to thank for calling us together. Her memory, as well as the great family togetherness that we have shared during our lifetimes, will be with us always.
Thank you Jan for being a great family leader, a fun companion, and my own surrogate Big Sister. We'll all love you forever.
Tom & Clare Burton
Omaha, Nebraska
