Janet “Jan” Nadler Sommerfeldt (Janet Ann Nadler) died peacefully at her home in Rockingham County, Virginia on October 25,
2023. She was 86.
Jan was born in Augusta, Missouri on August 2, 1937 to Enos and Irma Nadler (Irma Wissmann), the fourth of five siblings. She
was baptized and confirmed at Christ Lutheran Church in Augusta, Missouri.
Jan was educated in a one-room schoolhouse before going on to receive her undergraduate degree from Concordia Teachers
College (now Concordia University Chicago) and a master’s degree from George Mason University. She spent the latter part of
her professional career teaching for Fairfax County Public Schools, but also taught in Japan, Germany, and Newfoundland with
Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Falls Church, Virginia
for many years.
Jan married Elroy Walter Sommerfeldt on April 22, 1977 in Falls Church, Virginia, and they remained together for 38 years until
his death in December 2015. They retired to Toms Brook, Virginia in 1990 where Jan lived until December 2022. She was a
regular attendee of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Toms Brook and Emanuel Lutheran Church in Woodstock.
Jan was a sharp woman with an active social life and a wide range of interests. She was an avid quilter, learning the skill from
her mother and continuing to practice it in her final days. She maintained a large and productive garden in Toms Brook. She
hosted many cherished gatherings at her home, including her annual Goose Dinner in early January. She played the organ for
local churches and participated in choral groups, indicating a deep interest in music. She read and traveled extensively
throughout her life, and contributed her broad experiences to the lives of those around her. The most important things to Jan
were her family and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sister Phyllis Edwards, and her brothers Carl Nadler, Donald Nadler,
and Ervin Nadler.
She is survived by her stepson Neil Sommerfeldt (Kate), step granddaughters Susan Keeler (Andy), Emily Heatwole (Jake), and
Anna Sommerfeldt, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and loving friends.
The funeral service will be held at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Woodstock, Virginia on November 11, 2023 at 11am. She will
be laid to rest beside her husband at Keller Cemetery in Toms Brook, Virginia in a private service at a later date. Memorial gifts
may be made to Shenandoah Community Health Clinic, 124 Valley Vista Drive, Woodstock, VA 22664.