Janet K. Solaas

Janet Kathleen Solaas [neé Reme], of Bethlehem, NH, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2024, at her home in Bethlehem, surrounded by loved ones. She was 79 years old. 

She was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 27, 1944, daughter of Arne [neé Eliassen] and Gurine Reme [neé Kristensen], who adored and spoiled little Janet. She was the first grandchild on both sides of the families, so the spoiling continued. 

Janet grew up in Brooklyn, attended Bay Ridge High School and got a job as a Norwegian translator for the Social Security Administration. She was offered a promotion, but by that time, she had met the love of her life, Kjell Solaas. They met when Janet was walking with her friend, Myrna Draghi [neé Mayberg], who happened to be Kjell’s cousin, in the rain and Kjell stopped to offer them a ride. As the story goes, after Janet got out of the car, Kjell told his friend, “I will marry that girl one day.” They fell head over heels in love and she could think of nothing more than being a wife and mom. She later co-owned Ken-Nan Oil Tank Cleaners with Kjell and worked for the Town of New Paltz as the payroll clerk before she retired.

Janet and Kjell dated a year before getting engaged and then on November 2, 1963, they were married at the Norwegian Evangelical Free Church in Bay Ridge. It was quite a swanky affair. Guests came from all over the U.S. and Norway to dance and celebrate with the love birds. Janet loved, and at times was driven to tears, being part of Kjell’s large boisterous family. Being an only child, it didn’t always make sense to Janet that sometimes being part of a large family means teasing and poking fun. She would later yell at her kids as they were screaming and fighting with each other, “You should be SO happy you have each other! Why are you fighting?!” 

The two honeymooned in Nashville, Tennessee. They drove in Kjell’s Chevy with a clothes rack hung between the two back seats, because of course Janet didn’t overpack. They had decided to honeymoon there because of Kjell’s love of country music. He had been playing guitar and singing since he was young and had started to play at dance halls. He was approached by Sun Records to sign him to a recording contract but once he met Janet, he knew he wanted to start a family with her. He wrote a song just for her, “I’ve Got A Lovely Darling,” which the family proudly still keeps on the 45 record that the original was pressed on. 

Not long after, they became pregnant with their first child. Kenneth was born in October of 1964. That is when they decided to move out of the city, and they moved to New Paltz in 1969. That same year their daughter Nancy was born. 

Janet loved being a wife and mom. She enjoyed being involved in all the kids’ activities. One famous story from her PTA fundraising days is when Janet had to go around to local businesses to get donations for a raffle. She came home with all kinds of goodies including a new suede jacket from a local clothes store and a German Shepard from Sue’s Zoo! The amazing part of this is Janet had a well-known lifelong fear of dogs. Her family had long given up trying to convince her to get a dog. When asked how this happened, she said Sunshine was walking around the store and was so gentle, had the saddest look when she looked up at her, and Sue was very generous with her PTA donation. Who else, but Janet, would go looking for PTA donations and come home with a German Shepard!

They lived in New Paltz until 1995 when they sold their house to move closer to the light of their lives. Their grandchildren, Matthew, and Rebecca. Anyone who knew Janet knew she loved her children but when Matthew and Rebecca came along in the early 1990’s, there was a whole other layer to her love and joy. She went from Mom to Grandma, and she could not have been happier. They were the apples of her eye. She has always said it was the greatest gift that she and Grandpa got to be with them while they were growing up. 

Recently, she went from Grandma to GG (Great Grandma) with the addition of her Great Grandog, Murphy and Great Grandson, Davis. If we thought she was excited about becoming a Grandma, becoming an Oldemor brought another level of happiness and light to her life. 

Janet will be reunited with the love of her life, Kjell, who passed away last year. 

Janet is survived, loved, and missed by her son, Kenneth Solaas and Karen Mains, of Port Ewen, NY, her daughter, Nancy and Townley Flynn of Bethlehem, NH, her grandson, Matthew Solaas, Great Grandog Murphy, granddaughter, Rebecca and Jeff Decker, and Great grandson, Davis of Connelly, NY. She is survived, loved, and missed by many Tantes, Onkles, nieces, nephews, and cousins across the U.S. and Norway.

The family will hold a celebration of life on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Gilpatric-VanVliet Funeral Home, 339 Broadway, Ulster Park, NY 12487. Visitation will be 1:00pm - 2:30pm with a service to follow at 2:30pm. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Janet's memory can be made to North Country Home Health & Hospice who helped bring joy, wonderful care, peace, and love to her in the last year of her life. To contribute, please visit Click here to donate in Janet's memory or mail donations to North Country Home Health & Hospice Agency, 536 Cottage Street, Littleton, NH 03561.