Janet Lee Checker, 80 of Galena, IL passed away Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at home surrounded by her loving family. A celebration of life will be held from 1 to 3 PM, Sunday, October 30, 2022, at the Galena Center for the Arts, 971 Gear Street, Galena. We look forward to seeing you there. The Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena is assisting the family. She was born April 27, 1942, in Los Angeles, CA the daughter of Harold Geschke and Jean (Enszer), and Raymond Nelson. Janet was raised in Chicago. She attended the Art Institute of Chicago. Janet was united in marriage to Jon Checker, and they recently celebrated fifty-five years together. Jan was an incredibly multi-talented artist and teacher who inspired so many over the years, especially “Janet’s Girls”. Her accolades are too vast to list as she was involved in the arts and the Galena community, which she greatly loved. She is survived by her husband, Jon, and was the loving mother of, Ja-Ni (Rob) Hirschmann of Boca Raton, FL, and Nicole Watson of White Bear Lake, MN, spirited grandmother to, Eli, Aviya, Navah, and Liora Hirschmann, and Ben and Noah Watson, and welcoming host mother to seven foreign exchange students who were very dear to her. The family wishes to extend a sincere thank you to Dr. Kukla, Dr. Engleman, and their awesome staff who provided years of comfort to Jan. We cannot thank Jennifer, Amber, and Hayle of Hospice of Dubuque enough for all their support. Thank you to Jan’s many friends who called or visited. We appreciate all of you! In lieu of flowers, please consider making a charitable donation to Hospice of Dubuque or the Galena Center for the Arts.