08/07/2026
Janet Marie Mueller, 92, of Londonderry Village in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, passed away from her life on this earth into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Friday, July 24, 2026 at the Hostetter House in Londonderry Village. Born in Philadelphia, she was the only child of the late George and Laura C. (Schopfer) Street. Janet was the loving and committed wife of the late Dr. Walter Mueller Jr. who passed away on April 1, 2020. They were married for 66 years.
Janet grew up in the “Great Northeast” section of Philadelphia, where she was raised by her loving Christian parents, coming to faith in Jesus Christ as a child and being nurtured in her faith at Calvary Reformed Episcopal Church. She graduated from Frankford High School, and then worked as a Secretary in the Penn Mutual Building directly across from Independence Hall. Upon her marriage at the age of 19, she eagerly took on the role of Pastor’s wife, supporting her husband in his teaching positions at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Center for Urban Theological Studies, and as they served in pastoral ministry at churches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Their longest tenured ministries stretched over three decades, serving two churches successively: St. Mark’s Reformed Episcopal Church in Jenkintown, PA, and Supplee Presbyterian Church in Maple Glen, PA. It was during those years that they raised their three sons, providing them with a stable and loving home, along with consistent Christian nurture through both word and example.
A faithful and loving wife and mother, Janet willingly and eagerly ran a tight ship that was always spotless, organized, and orderly. She lived out the old saying that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” She relished the opportunity to care for her husband and boys, preparing countless meals, doing endless loads of wash, patching holes in the knees of blue jeans, and even enjoying ironing cloths as if it was an Olympic sport! She also expected her sons to learn these skills for themselves.
While the adventurous spirits of her boys always kept things lively and Janet on her toes, she usually laughed at their antics, but was not hesitant to provide consistent loving direction and discipline with truth and grace when needed. One time she had to go so far as to ban her young sons from watching “The Three Stooges” as they would emulate among other things the eye-poking antics of Moe, Larry, and Curly. It should be noted that her efforts were only semi-successful.
Along with her husband, Janet mastered the skill of “the look”, a silent-but-loud glance that in a public moment served to derail any bad behavior while leaving the boys anticipating the discipline that would come soon after. Rumor has it that the boys were all “wooden spoon survivors” who quickly learned that just hearing her strategic loud-slamming of the kitchen utensil drawer signaled a warning of the need for a quick change in behavior. As the boys grew, they would derail her wooden spoon strategy by escaping her through running circles around the dining room table, which would eventually lead to laughter and surrender on her part. It should be noted that laughter was ever-present in the Mueller home.
Janet and Walt were known to always maintain an open door to their home and yard for their boys’ friends from their church youth group, neighborhood, school, and college to gather. She kept an ample supply of snacks for their young visitors, with evening visitors often treated to a bowl of ice cream. Their welcoming spirit and ability to relate to kids led to a constant flow of young guests both day and night, whom they embraced and loved. To this day, many of those friends look back with gratitude on the role that Janet and Walt played in pointing them to the Lord. In addition, Janet supported, corresponded with, and hosted numerous missionaries from around the globe. After the end of Vietnam war, she was active in serving and assisting Hmong refugee families in their resettlement to the U.S.
In her later years, Janet faithfully lived out her marriage vows with consistency and without complaint as she served for over fifteen years as her husband’s caregiver after he suffered a debilitating stroke. She would visit and sit with him day after day when he was in a nursing care facility. When he eventually returned home, she took over all the care-giver duties, which were non-stop and often demanding.
Janet enjoyed reading, doing jigsaw puzzles, playing games, and keeping up with old friends through phone calls, written correspondence, and emails. She enjoyed the annual family vacations with the boys to Madeira Beach, Florida, and in her later years traveled more extensively with her husband, including a trip to Germany where they discovered more about their ancestry. She especially cherished visits with her sons, their wives, and their growing families.
Janet is survived by three sons, Dr. Walter Mueller, III husband of Lisa, of Elizabethtown, PA, Mark J. Mueller husband of Jackie, of Bainbridge, PA, and Kenneth E. Mueller husband of Becky, of Lancaster, PA. Also surviving are 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren who she dearly loved.
The family is most grateful for the compassionate care provided to Janet by the staff at Londonderry Village, especially that which was provided by the staff of Hostetter House over the course of the last year of her life.
Just a few months before Janet’s death, one of her pre-teen great-grandchildren stood at her bedside and asked her, “Grandmom, when you die and go to see Jesus, what are you going to ask Him?” Without hesitation, she lifted her head and loudly answered firmly, “I’m a Christian. I won’t be asking any questions. I’ll only be worshipping the Lord!” After having received the gift of a long life here on earth, that is precisely what Janet is doing today.
A private memorial service for Janet will be held in September. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in her name to any of the three non-profit organizations served by Janet’s sons: Occupational Development Center - https://odcenter.org/donate-online/ ; MS FitEffect - https://www.msfiteffect.org/donate ; and The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding - https://cpyu.org/donate/
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