Janet Ethel (Barrows) Stotts, 59
Published 11:19 am Thursday, April 30, 2015
Janet Ethel (Barrows) Stotts, 59, beloved director of the Alaska Children’s Choir, passed away at home in Wasilla, Alaska, on Sunday afternoon, April 26.
Stotts
Janet was born in Austin, Minnesota, on May 29, 1955, to Ethel and Stanley Barrows. She was baptized and confirmed in Little Cedar Lutheran Church in Adams, Minnesota, and graduated from Adams High School in 1973.
Janet graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1977, with her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Vocal Music Education. Her graduate work in Early Childhood Music and Choral Music was done at BYU, Dominican College and with the Robert Shaw Workshop in New York.
Janet Barrows married “Gene” Robert Stotts on June 25, 1978, in Muskegon, Michigan. After spending a year teaching in Bogota, Columbia, Janet and Gene made their home in south central Alaska in 1980 and have been here since.
In Alaska, Janet first worked at the Anchorage School of Music then the Alaska Children’s Choir in the early 1980’s before purchasing the choir. The internationally recognized choir has brought together approximately 5,000 youth singers over the past 30 years. In addition, Janet founded “Cantora Arctica,” an award winning women’s choir.
As a result of Janet’s work, she has been a recipient of many awards, including the Woman of Achievement Award (1997), St. Olaf College Distinguished Alumna Award (1997), and the Governor’s Arts Award for Arts Educator (2006).
Janet was preceded in death by her father, Stanley Barrows, and her mother, Ethel Nerison.
She is survived by her husband, Robert Stotts of Wasilla, Alaska; stepfather, Laurence Nerison, of Adams, Minnesota; stepdaughter, Monique (Russ) Hubbard of Palmer, Alaska; granddaughter, Chelsea Hubbard of Indianapolis, Indiana; grandson, Duke Hubbard of Palmer, Alaska; sister Cindy (Russ) Chapek, of Lake Crystal, Minnesota; brother Gene Barrows of Elko, Minnesota; brother Dale Barrows of Adams, Minnesota; brother Loren Nerison of Austin, Minnesota; and many nieces, nephews, uncles and aunts.
There will be a celebration of life gathering on Monday, May 4, at the family home in Adams, Minnesota, from 3 to 7 p.m.