It's with heavy hearts that we announce the unexpected and sudden passing of Janeen Brink Thompson on Sunday, July 11, 2021 at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.
Janeen was born on July 9th, 1963 in Albuquerque New Mexico, to Lynelle Durham and Walter Brink. She was the first of six children and always loved and cared for her younger siblings.
Early in life, she discovered she had a talent for singing and developed a love of music. Choir became her favorite class in high school and she continued to share her beautiful soprano voice throughout her life. Her powerful yet warm voice was a stand out in any choir and she was invited to sing at many events both in and out of her church.
Janeen’s bright eyes and beautiful smile were captivating and reflected her love of life. In 1987, she met her life-long companion, Rolf Thompson. They became inseparable. On December 3rd 1988, they were married in Orem, UT with their combined four children (each bringing two from prior marriages). They were blessed with two additional children who were sealed to them in the Mount Timpanogos Temple.
Together, their love for outdoor adventure was not diminished despite having a large family in tow. They could often be found hiking in the mountains, camping, rafting or boating. She was the master planner and outdoor chef on these outings. They were able to travel to many states and several other countries. On a trip to Korea, she met a boy named Gio. He was later invited to be a foreign exchange student in her home. Janeen quickly accepted and loved him as her own child. He is now family.
Her husband’s missionary experiences in Korea piqued her interest in Korean culture. She would go to K-Pop concerts with her family whenever possible. She and her husband enjoyed watching K-Dramas together and this led to her love of Korean food. With the help of many Korean friends, she mastered Korean cuisine. Among her weekly family dinners on Sunday, these meals became a favorite.
As a career, Janeen found her niche in Training Software development. She worked for many companies including Microsoft, American Express, and Discover. She gained many close friends in the industry and will be greatly missed.
Janeen had many callings in her church, but the one dearest to her heart was working with the primary children. She had a special bond with children and they gravitated to her. Many of the primary children remember her as “Grandma Friendly”. Janeen also loved the temple. She considered it a great blessing to have served in the Draper Temple with her husband. She looked forward to returning to the temple once re-opened.
Janeen cared deeply about those around her. She felt great joy in serving and ministering to others. Her testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, His love, and His atoning sacrifice was the driving force of her life. She immersed herself in the scriptures each morning and she said it was the highlight of her day. Through her study of the scriptures, she was able to bring the Gospel into every day conversations and draw others closer to Christ. Her voice now joins the heavenly choir.
Janeen is preceded in death by her mother Lynelle and step-father George and is survived by her husband Rolf; their children, Jeff, Andrew (Carrie), Jennie (Cordell), Karl (Callie), Spencer, and Lindsay (Braden); her father Walter (Debbie); her siblings, Joy (Dave), Jinger (Jeff), Julie (Pete), Marshall (Molly), and Jynelle; and her grandchildren, Austin, Madeline, Jonah, Theo, Sunny, Samuel, Elsie, Gabe, Nella, Pria, Ty, Zara...
Janeen’s family would like to thank the hospital staff at Intermountain Medical Center, Donor Connect, her friends, coworkers, and ward members for their support and service during this difficult time.
A viewing will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, July 14th, 2021 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Rd. (10600 South), Sandy, Utah 84092.
A celebration of Janeen’s life will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, July 15th, 2021 at the Pinecrest Ward building, 2080 East Pinecrest Lane, Sandy, Utah 84092. A viewing prior to services will be from 10:00 to 10:40 am. To view previously held services please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/8_T8Y4YzrpRlWLxMsJfV3GzlVKYOXwUpkTolEQWtfNZzmeomGKva5_I6yul25Sdk.Oz_zzYuQK9jV7_bq?startTime=1626367052000
Rolf,
I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's passing. I am sad for you and your family for such a sudden loss. Reading the obituary she seemed like a really wonderful person and will surely be missed by many. I truly express my condolences during this time.
Justin
Sorry Rolf. Thoughts are with you.
Sending my love and Gods peace at this time of grief and loss. I wish I could be there to celebrate her life with all of you. Till we meet again.
Rolf,
I want you to know that I am thinking and praying for you and your family at this time. I am sorry to hear that you have been separated from your very dear wife. I am sorry for your loss.
Regards,
Eric
Dear Thompson family,
Our condolences go out to you. We are fairly new to this area but for the brief time we knew Janeen, she was a treasure. She was one of the first to welcome us into the ward. She was always bright and cheerful. We knew immediately that we had a friend in Janeen. We simply wish all of you peace and comfort as you move forward in this tender time.
Love, The Debenham's Lila Mae, Jim, and Jenny.
Sending you our deepest and most heartfelt condolences. We so enjoyed knowing Janeen. She will be missed by all!
We pray the Lord will bless you and hold you close.
My deepest condolences to your family. I was able to work with Janeen at Discover on multiple projects over the years and for the past year or so, on the same team. I was always impressed by her happiness, her kindness, and her willingness to jump in and help anyone that needed it. Thank you for sharing her with us. She will be greatly missed.
We are so sorry for your family's loss. Remember all the happy memories she left you with.
I am so sorry about your loss, it is never easy to lose a loved one, but we are grateful for the knowledge that we have that you will be united once again. May your family be comforted and find peace in that knowledge. I loved her beautiful voice, and she sincerely loved her primary children. Our sincere Condolence, the Long family.
Bonnie and I are so sorry for your loss. We know your family have the peace of the Lord with you and have you in our thoughts and prayers .
Fred and Bonnie Busch
Dear Rolf and children. We are so sorry for your loss, Janeen was too young, but we never know from day to day what our life will hold. She will be remembered for her beautiful voice, her energetic enthusiasm and joy in living and doing for others. We are grateful we had the opportunity to get to live by you and know you and your family. Our prayers are with you all. We love you, Kathy and Rod Crockett
I worked with Janeen for a short period of time at Discover. She was always a pleasure to work with and a valued partner. My condolences to her family during this time. She will be missed.
From Dorrell on the Alight Customer Care team.
Dear Rolf
하늘로부터 위로와 평강이 김호선님 과 유가족에 함께 하시길.
Thank You Jennie for posting the details. My thoughts and prayers are with all your family at this difficult time. I worked with your mother at WICAT for several years. We both started out as testers in QA working the night shift. I will always remember your mother bringing in her Whitney Houston CD and singing the songs as they played. I told her she sounded even better than Whitney! I will always cherish our friendship and her beautiful voice and smile that could light up a room! Keep singing Janeen. Heaven needs more angelic voices!
So sorry to hear of your loss. I used to tend Spencer as a baby and Jeff and Jenny. She had an amazing voice and beautiful smile. Prayers to your family.
Our deep condolences to your family. I have not met Janeen but have heard of her generosity and love of serving others. Her desire the help our Diamse Uncle deeply touched our hearts all the way in California.
We wish your family love and we pray for your comfort and sweet reunion with Janeen someday in the future. Thank you, Janeen and yes to k drama, pop or cuisine.:)
I am so sad and want to give my condolences to the entire Thompson family. Janeen was instrumental in my conversion when we were good friends at the ripe ages of 17 and 18. She may have been one of the sweetest persons I’ve ever known. May Heavenly Father’s peace be with you during this difficult time.
Janeen was such a sweet kind neighbor and a wonderful friend. She is one of those neighbors that you wish you could take with you when you moved out of the neighborhood. Oh Rolf and family I am so sorry for the loss of your wife, mother, and grandma. She was an Amazing lady!!! She will be deeply missed. She was so talented with her singing and her guitar playing, and thank goodness she kindly shared her talents with us that were lacking. Her gardening talents were that of wonder too. I loved the jalapenos I always got from her for Christmas. BUT above all she was I always loved the way she shared her testimony on fast sunday. Her testimony of the gospel was strong and unwavering. I definately missed her when I moved.
Love, Jessica Davenport
I am very fortunate to have been able to work with Janeen closely for the past 6 years. We had a small tight knit team and I got to know her well and by extension I feel like I know her whole family – she sang your praises constantly and shared your joys too.
Janeen was an amazing employee, she never encountered a challenge she was not up for tackling. In fact, she covered my responsibilities (and hers) while I was on leave for the birth of my kids; both times I was comforted knowing Janeen had things covered. Every time she took an assignment I knew she would deliver it on time and exceed my expectations. She also served as a source of positivity on the team, if there were any conflicting views or decisions, she had a way of easing tensions and highlighting the positive side of any debacle.
I admire her in many of ways and I hope I can come close to matching her positivity, class and style, and have as many fun adventures as she had. I will remember her fondly every time I eat kimchi, hear about BTS or watch K Dramas.
My heart goes out to the whole family (including Gio).
Rolf
That was a fantastic celebration of Janeen's life. I wish I would have been able to be there. The kids gave an incredible picture of some of her qualities. I'm sure they only just touched the surface of all the beautiful things you did together. There is obviously so much love in your family. I am so sorry for your loss. I do want you to know of my friendship and love for you.
Steve Gledhill
Rolf,
I am so sorry for your loss. I pray for peace to rest upon you and all your family. I look forward to seeing you and climbing some mountains
Bryce Berry
Dear Thompson family,
I am so sad and shocked to know that dear Janeen has passed away. I hold her in my heart as a dear friend with whom I had much fun while both our girls were in figure skating. I admired her for her ability to work hard and take things in stride while constantly making new friends and continuing to support old.
Please accept my sincere condolences and since I just found out today, I am sorry to have missed a chance to say goodbye to a lovely friend like Janeen.
~ Malavika