Janet Irma Hutchinson, 71, of Puyallup, Washington, passed away  October 20, 2008, at Good Samaritan, with family by her side. She was devoted to her four children and husband, and blessed with four grandchildren.

A longtime volunteer for church and service groups, she quietly helped countless people. She was former chairwoman of American Red Cross Heartland Chapter volunteers at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, earning an award for outstanding service, and served on Red Cross disaster teams dispatched from Tacoma. Her civic work at Offutt earned her the Angel Award. In Puyallup, she was a food advisor for Pierce County Cooperative Extension and helped judge 4-H contests at the fair. Her time in Bible study and church was precious to her. She was a member of Elim Evangelical Free Church in Puyallup. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Elmer and Florence Bauman, she graduated from high school in South Pasadena, California, then a journalism scholarship took her to the University of Iowa, where she met Richard D. Hutchinson. They married September 8, 1957, and their military life soon began. She handled the challenges with grace, strength and humor, putting her family and others first.

Before retiring to Puyallup in 1991, Jan traveled the U.S. and Europe, and lived in Wiesbaden, Germany. The family also lived a number of years in Bellevue, Nebraska, where Jan wrote for the Bellevue Leader and was Family Pulse editor for the Public Pulse newspaper at Offutt AFB. She was a journalist at heart, loved to read and was a lifetime learner. She accomplished her goal of finishing college, earning a degree in home economics in 1983 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Jan is survived by her husband, Richard, of Puyallup, Washington; her children, Steve, of Omaha, Nebraska., Linda Whyte, of Tempe, Arizona, Cindy, of Phoenix, Arizona, and Phil of Redmond, Washington; and four grandchildren, Ryan Hutchinson, Kelsey Hutchinson, Rutger Whyte, and Alex Whyte. 

The News Tribune, October 22, 2008