Janet Sippell Taught at Saline High School and Saline Middle School

Janet Sippell died suddenly and went to be with her Savior on April 3, 2013, at University of Michigan Hospital.

Janet Gaynor Rountree was born May 28, 1935, to Edgar and Margherite in Hanover, Michigan. She pursued a secondary teaching degree at Jackson Community College and Western Michigan University, graduating in 1957. She obtained additional certifications through courses at Western and the University of Colorado.

Her 25-year teaching career started at what is now Brooklyn Columbia Central High School and continued at New Buffalo, and then at Saline Middle and High Schools until her retirement in 1995. She taught typing and shorthand, personal law, and English. She met and married Ken Sippell in 1961, and they lived in Battle Creek from 1964 to 1970, and then moved to Saline. Janet loved being a teacher and spent her post-teaching years continuing to read and learn. Her love of books and learning was instilled in her children as was her interest in travel, especially to the ocean.

She had many happy memories with her sisters and friends at the family cottage in the Irish Hills; family vacations to Colorado, Hilton Head, and Gatlinburg; and attending basketball games and tournaments with her husband and children. She participated in the Ladies’ Golf League at Brookside for many years, was a past member of an investment club, and a supporter of Washtenaw Literacy, among many other local charities.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Ken Sippell of Saline; Kelly Sippell of Ann Arbor; Greg Sippell (Yolanda) of Corona, CA.; grandchildren Joshua, Jade, and Trevor; and sisters Kay Fisher (Hanover), Mary Jo Greiner (Hanover), and Joy Hayden (Lake Orion). She was preceded in death by her parents and son Jeffrey.

A Memorial Service will take place on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Christ Our King Lutheran Church (3255 Waterworks Road, Saline). A graveside service will be held at Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Michigan) on a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Washtenaw Literacy. Envelopes will be available at the Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home in Saline where friends may begin calling on Sunday, April 7, 2013, between the hours of 2  and 5: p.m. To sign Janet’s guestbook, to leave a memory, or for more information or directions please visit www.rbfhsaline.com.

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