Janet Holt

Janet Holt Tompkins, 95, Bismarck, died June 10, 2016, at CHI St. Alexius Health, Bismarck. A funeral service will be held Friday, June 17, at 1:30 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3rd Street and Avenue A, Bismarck with Rev. Steve Sathre officiating. Burial will be held at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Janet Louise Malloy Holt Tompkins was born July 25, 1920, in Dickinson, ND, to Howard and Hazel Malloy. She grew up in Halliday, ND, and attended Ohio Wesleyan University for one year before returning to North Dakota where she graduated from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She taught school in several small North Dakota towns before moving to Bismarck where she taught elementary music for many years. She married Gordon Holt in 1946, and they had four children. Together she and Gordon raised their children, traveled, and spent time at their cottage in Minnesota. Janet was an amazing pianist, entertaining both family, friends and even strangers everywhere she went. She used to say "if you can hum it, I can play it." And that was true! She played all kinds of music, and she played almost daily even as her hands became more and more arthritic. After Gordon passed away in 1992, Janet traveled and enjoyed time with her grandchildren. In 2001, she married Ernie Tompkins, an old family friend who lived in Billings, MT. She and Ernie then divided their time between their two homes. In addition they drove Ernie's motor home to Arizona for a few months each winter as well as enjoyed Janet's cottage in Minnesota during the summer until Ernie's death in 2015. Janet is survived by her children, Susan Maas (Mike), Sally Evarts, Debra Renz (Darold), and John Holt; six grandchildren, Austin Evarts (Emily), Ian Evarts (Lucy), Braden Holt, Alison Holt, Carter Holt, and Kristin Renz Johnson (Bobby). In addition she is survived by two step-grandchildren, David Maas (Corey) and Andrew Maas (Lindsey) and five Maas great-grandchildren. She is also survived by Ernie Tompkins' children, Jim Tompkins, Kay Courteney (Tom) and Larry Tompkins (Carol). She was preceded in death by her husbands, Gordon Holt and Ernie Tompkins; and her two brothers, Jim and Harry Malloy. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Bismarck Public Schools Foundation with a designation for music programs.