Jan was a gifted artist and belonged to Penn Cove Gallery. She loved to combine her passions for travel and painting. Her artwork portrayed the beauty she saw in France and Mexico in addition to that of Whidbey Island and the surrounding marine life.
Jan joined WSU/Island County Beach Watchers in 1990 and was so fascinated by her first glimpse of the ecology of the marine world that she returned to college to pursue her life-long interest in science and to earn a master’s degree in marine biology from Western Washington University.
She worked at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Shannon Point Marine Laboratories and took on a leadership role in Beach Watchers. As a Beach Watcher volunteer, she was instrumental in setting up beach monitoring and eelgrass study programs. She had a passion for studying and teaching about copepods, marine worms, seagrasses and other flora and fauna of the Salish Sea. For this work she was honored with Western Washington’s 2010 Cox Conserves Heroes Award. Jan was a past member of the Marine Resources Committee, was a founding member and board president of Periwinkle Press, and belonged to the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
Jan passed away in her home on Dec. 15, 2011 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
She is survived by her loving husband Steve; stepsons Brad, Bret and Todd Holmes; her canine child Chester; brothers Mark Fridlund and Roger Burns; nieces Ria Kaelin and Stacy Loken; “nieceletts” Grey and Chalyce Kaelin; and many friends.
Jan’s remarkable charisma and energy will continue to inspire her family, friends and her extended community. The sparkle she added to everything she touched will be missed by all.