Janet Lee Vollmer

Janet Lee (Keeney) Vollmer
March 18, 1945—August 21, 2022

Janet (Jan) Lee Vollmer has completed her journey to a place of peace and rest. Free from ravages of Parkinson’s that she has endured since being first diagnosed in 2003, she has joined her Heavenly Family.

Janet was born March 19, 1945, in San Mateo, California, to William F. Keeney and Marian Belle (Gleason) Keeney. She was later joined by three sisters: Elizabeth (Keeney) Binder, Marian Keeney and Carol Keeney.

Her father was a pastor with the United Church of Christ. As such, she moved at intervals through her early life. It was during one of these moves that she completed her high school years in Mexico. Following these years, Janet returned to the United States to complete her college years at the University of Colorado Boulder Campus receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages with Spanish as her primary and French as her secondary.

In the fall of 1966, Janet moved to Madras to start a 33-year career teaching at Madras High School. Although she taught primarily Spanish, she also taught French as well. During these early years she spent some of her summer vacations traveling. Of her favorite travels, she remembered a trip to Mexico with several of her students staying with families she had known while living there. Another fond memory was a trip as a group chaperon taking some of her students to a program in Spain.

Later in her career Janet was assigned to the US Title 9 One-M program as the resource teacher to help initiate it within Jefferson County School District 509-J assisting classroom teachers with students having limited skills with spoken and written English language. She worked with all grade levels from kindergarten through high school, although most of her time was spent in grades K-8. Following this twelve-year assignment, Janet returned to the high school teaching Spanish and quite often English as a second language. This program was to become the foundation of the current bilingual programs in the 509-J School District.

Following Jan’s retirement, she worked as the administrative assistant at the Madras United Methodist Church from 1999–2005, finally completely retiring when Bill completed his National Guard tour of duty in Salem. Throughout Jan’s working life she also managed to find fulfillment with many outside activities including many within her church family, Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity, The Children’s Learning Center and additional activities and organizations associated with high school.

In August 1976, Janet married William E. (Bill) Vollmer of Madras. On August 24 they will have celebrated a 48-year anniversary. They have one son, Malcolm Vollmer (Sara) and they also have Larry Vollmer (Heidi) of McMinnville, and Sarah (Vollmer) Kryla (Jay) of Metolius. Bill’s children from a previous marriage. She is proud of her grandchildren: Gustav (Gus) Vollmer (Malcolm & Sara), Jordan & Payton (Sarah & Jay), Dana (Larry & Heidi)

Janet is survived by her husband of 48 years, Bill Vollmer; her three sisters, Elizabeth, Marian, and Caro; children: Malcolm, Sarah, Larry, and their families; four grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Special thanks go to Teresa White of “Annie’s Summer Home Adult Foster Care” and the providers of St. Charles Hospice Care and Partners in Care for their outstanding professional care and support over the duration of this final journey. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Madras United Methodist Church community food outreach program or the charity of one’s choice.

A celebration of life will be held on September 10, with time and location to be determined

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