Janet Lynn Alters

Janet Lynn Alters, age 66, of Pewaukee, WI, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Janet was born on June 28, 1960 in Waukesha, daughter of the late Ray and Mary Mertens. She married her high school sweetheart, Wade Alters, on October 4, 1980, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pewaukee, WI. Having met at the start of high school, they shared more than 50 years together. Janet lived her life for the people she loved. Her family and friends always came first. If someone needed something, she was always there to lend a helping hand. She was a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, and the glue that held our family together. To countless friends and relatives, she acted as a second mother. After a courageous and difficult fight with glioblastoma, she is now free from pain and at peace. Through it all, she remained positive and kept her sense of humor, making her family laugh every single day through her treatment. She found her joy in the garden, tending her own with the same love she gave her family and happily helping with everyone else’s.True to her spirit, she chose to return to the earth through a green burial at Prairie Home Cemetery, where she will become part of the beautiful prairie.

Janet is survived by her husband: Wade Alters Sr.; her children: Wade (Dana) Alters Jr., Alyssa (Paul) Towler, and Janel Alters; her grandchildren: Kendall Staszewski and Kroy Towler; her siblings: Jeanne (Dennis) Witthun, Dorie (Jeff) Schwaab, Susan (Thomas) Arnold, Nancy (Ted) Kuhnz, Theresa Angrick, and Dan (Lisa) Mertens; as well as many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents: Ray and Mary Mertens; her grandchildren: Joseph Towler and Kade Towler; her niece: Jessica Wisniewski; and her brother-in-law: Dave Angrick.

A visitation will be held on Monday, September 28, 2026 at Galilee Lutheran Church (N24 W26430 Crestview Drive, Pewaukee, WI 53072) from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, with a service to follow at 2:00 PM. Pastor Amanda Applehans will be officiating. A private burial will take place at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha, WI. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Gray for Glioblastoma. 

Lazarczyk Family Funeral Homes of Lake Geneva and Delavan are proudly serving the family