Janie Pfau

Writing an obituary for the love of your life is a task fraught with considerable emotion. My wife, Janie Pfau of Missoula, went to her beloved Jesus Christ on the evening of June 26, 2025, after an 18-month battle with cancer. Her two children and I were present at the end.

Janie was born in Butte, Montana, on August 31, 1955, the fourth of eight children to William and Ruth Cotter. From the time that she entered Sacred Heart school in Butte, she always knew that a personal Christian God was watching over her, a belief she carried throughout her life.

Janie left Butte High in 1973 and joined her older siblings in Alaska to start work at Safeway in Anchorage. She retained a lifelong love for Alaska and the outdoors. An early marriage of 19 years to Edward Breault (Portland, Maine) led her to Missoula in 1985. In 1992, she found her work family at Rosauers Supermarket, where she retired in 2014. Missoula shoppers will remember her congenial personality and good-humored banter with customers. She belonged to the Missoula Women's Club for 30 years and remained a dedicated fitness enthusiast with her workout family.

In 2006, in Alaska, Janie married the "love of her life" (her exact words), Mark Pfau of Missoula. We had our 19th wedding anniversary just three weeks before her passing. Janie and I are members of the Missoula Alliance Church, where she was active in women's Bible studies and found her church family.

Janie is survived by her children, Tim Breault of Anchorage and Janelle (Breault) Arnold of Nanaimo, British Columbia. Janelle and her husband Sean have two children, Zaylee (7) and Ivy (2). She is also survived by a brother, Bill Cotter of Anchorage, and a sister, Kathy Lombardi of Butte. Janie is preceded in death by one sister and four brothers. Her presence is profoundly missed by her family, support group, and closest girlfriends, Nancy Sullivan, Julie Pesanti, Janet Gates, Mary Ann Virts, alongside her treasured cat Callie.

Janie was a very private woman, often opinionated without being offensive. When she made friends, it was for life. She learned to be "kind" over being "nice" long before the self-help books. She and I enjoyed adventures in ten countries, and annual trips to Alaska or Hawaii. Most of all, she loved cruising by ship, car, or on foot at Maclay Flats. Family and home were intensely important to her. New cooking recipes complemented her passion for making soaps and lotions from scratch, which she freely gave away. Janie is the good wife of the Bible, and it is truly an honor to be married to her.

We, the family, want to personally thank Dr. Linda Ries and the cancer infusion team at Providence St. Patrick's Hospital and Dr. Alexis Hokenstad of St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings for their ardent support of Janie. We also commend PIHC for its outstanding commitment to hospice care.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Garden City Funeral Home of Missoula at 11 am on Saturday, August 16th.

If you're able, donations can be sent to:

Foundation for Women's Cancer at https://foundationforwomenscancer.org/support-us/donate/

Fred Hutch Cancer Center at www.FredHutch.Org/WaysToGive