Janet Mae Koistinen

Our mom, Janet Mae Koistinen, chose to go catch up with our dad and continue their life of adventure in the early morning hours of December 15, 2025, at 6:24 a.m. Janet spent her working life as a Registered Nurse, serving in facilities across Oregon, California, and Nevada. For 53 years, she traveled the highways of life alongside the love of her life, David Martin Koistinen, and many dear friends, until she was required to say goodbye for a while in June of 2018. Those years were anything but uneventful. Together, Janet and David explored much of the United States by ATV, motorcycle, boat, and car. Along the way, life’s greatest adventure arrived with the birth of their three children: Kent Aubrey Koistinen, Amber Mae Pearce, and Kurt Martin Koistinen. Janet’s life of nursing, love, humor, and wandering began on July 18, 1943, in Glendale, California. Her family moved often during her early years, instilling in her a lifelong love of travel. They settled for a time in Billings, Montana, where her birth father deserted the family, leaving Janet and her mother to bravely continue life’s journey on their own. After another move, this time to Portland, Oregon, Janet met and married the love of her life, David Martin Koistinen, on August 21, 1965. Together, they explored the world—from the Mexican border to Eagle, Alaska, and east to Nova Scotia—often by motorcycle. Their adventures included falls on sand dunes, storms at sea, and wild rides through the backcountry of Utah, all of which became cherished stories woven into a life fully lived. Janet’s final months were made more comfortable by the nurses, aides, and staff at Desert Oaks Assisted Living, who cared for her beginning in August 2025. The family extends a heartfelt thank-you for their compassion and dedication. Janet is survived by her three children and their families: Kent Aubrey Koistinen and his wife Mary; Amber Mae Pearce and her husband Dan; and Kurt Martin Koistinen and his wife Lynn. She also leaves behind four grandchildren—Kayla, Ian, Adrian, and Joe—and two great-grandchildren, Emma and Adam.