Jane Loren Halver

Janie loved music and was discovered, at the age of 9, by the head music professor at the University of Puget Sound (UPS) in Tacoma where she studied until graduating Stadium High School. She then attended the Washington State Collage (WSC) in Pullman. While in college she double majored in music and chemistry.

She met the love of her life at WSC and upon graduation in 1944, she married John Emil Halver III. While John went to WWII she worked as a chemist to help the war effort. Upon John’s return, she insisted that John continue with college and they started their family with John Emil IV and Nancylee (Hadley) then Janet Ann (Fix). John graduated with his Ph.D. in biochemistry and went on to build a successful career in fish nutrition. After school, they moved to Underwood and Peter Loren and Deborah Kay (Halver-Hanson) joined the family.

Jane continued her love of music and became a member of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and even opened her own music school in Hood River, Ore. Later, she moved her school to their home on Underwood with many students studying piano and organ.

When John retired from Federal Service, in 1976, they moved to Seattle and John accepted a full professorship for the University of Washington and taught fish nutrition. Jane became an AGO Relief organist for the greater Seattle area and played in many churches. She also became involved with the University of Washington Faculty Auxiliary including serving as president one year.

Jane loved to travel throughout the world and while doing so found opportunities to play organs around the world to include the bamboo organ of the Philippines and as the organist for a week for the Sistine Chapel choir.

John and Jane attended many overseas sites, while he helped other nations build the fisheries industries, she made many of his colleagues their friends for life. Upon their many years in Seattle, Jane became involved in the King County Republican Women’s Association and the Reserve Offices Association League (ROAL).

Jane lived a lively 97 years until several small heart attacks led to her moving to the Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland where she passed peacefully on Dec. 4, 2019.

Jane is survived by her children John IV, Nancylee (Hadley), Peter and Deborah (Hanson) and her 14 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

A celebration of life service will be held on March 8, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. at the Bothell United Methodist Church.

The Halver family encourages donations be made to the John E. Halver Endowed Fellowship in Aquatic Animal Nutrition, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, 1122 Boat Street, University of Washington; Seattle, Wash., 98195, or to the annual Halver Lecture in Comparative Nutrition at the WSU Foundation, Pullman, Wash., or to a charity of your choice.