Janet Sue Brandon

October 10, 1943 — March 5, 2024

Janet Sue (Stiens) Brandon, 80, passed away at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital on the evening of March 5, 2024. Her daughters were by her side.

Janet is survived by her daughters, Cassie (Jeff) Koch and Tava Riley, and grandson, Greg Riley. She is also survived by her sister, Jennifer Smith of Percy, Illinois, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Janet was born October 10, 1943, in Cutler, Illinois, to Alois and Norma Stiens. She was born a coal miner’s daughter. Janet graduated from high school in 1962. She met her husband of 51 years, Paul Brandon, in Sparta, Illinois, and married him in 1965. Janet had two children. Paul and Janet had a wanderlust for the West. They moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1975 and then onto the Bay Area of California in 1978. In 1981, Janet and her family moved to Sierra County, first to Sierra City and then settling in Downieville for the next 43 years. Janet worked as the night custodian for Downieville School for the next 25 years. She was known to so many as “Mrs. Brandon.” Janet also drove school buses for many years, safely driving kids daily to and from Sierra City to Downieville and over treacherous mountain passes for weekend ski trips and midweek sporting events.

Janet was most famous for her love of baking. The first Holiday on Main Street in Downieville, her Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer cake fetched hundreds of dollars at auction and began her path of being the town baker. During her lifetime, she made hundreds of wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and monster cookies. And let’s not forget her doughnuts! Janet had a love for all things crafty. She enjoyed spending her time quilting, sewing, painting, and cross-stitching, and later in life, she learned to knit.

In her later years, Janet looked forward to girls’ trips with her daughters. They visited Janet’s hometown of Sparta, Disneyland, and the coast of California. She especially loved spending time with Cassie, who dedicated her time to caring for her mother in her end days.

Most importantly, Janet was a woman of God. Her faith was resolute. She was a Christian first, then a wife and mother. Janet was an active member of the Downieville Assembly of God church until her dementia prevented her from attending services.

Janet was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Paul, siblings John, Jackie, Jimmy, Judy, and Joann, and her granddaughter Beth Riley.

In lieu of a memorial service, the family asks for any donations to be made to the Downieville Fire and EMS services.