Jane Danielle Choquette

Jane Danielle Choquette, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, lost her valiant fight with cancer and passed away on September 7, 2021. She was a cherished member of her family and the community and will be remembered for her commitment to those she loved and the causes she supported wholeheartedly. Whether she was fighting for political change, advocating for the health of her patients, or showing her support for her family and friends, Jane was a born activist and fulfilled her calling in life.

Born in 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Roberta and James Edward Weller, she was the youngest of three children. She is survived by her sister, Suzanne Gross (Morgantown, WV) and brother, Jim Weller (Mequon, WI). The Weller family spent Jane’s early childhood in Wexford where she fell in love with horseback riding and developed a love of learning and reading while excelling as a student. She was known in her childhood (and often teased by her siblings) for having overly-sophisticated taste in food at a very young age and would proudly proclaim she could “cut her own steak” at the tender age of six.

Jane relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her family when she was in middle school. She graduated from Washington High School in 1963 near the top of her class and went on to study at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, earning her Masters degree in social work. During those years, she met a group of classmates who became some of her most cherished friends. They spent a semester studying abroad in Europe in 1968 and continued a lifetime of travel together with each passing year.

In 1969, Jane settled in Rockford, Illinois and began her career in social services. It was that year that she met her husband, Ken Choquette. He was working for the EPA in the same government office building--after noticing her on several occasions, he delivered the first (of many) bad jokes as a way to introduce himself. Marrying in 1972, Jane and Ken moved to Des Moines and spent the past 49 years together in the Choquette family home on Pennsylvania Avenue. They share three children, Danielle (Raleigh, NC), Andrew (St. Louis, MO) and Patrick (Des Moines, IA).

Jane was an active member of her community in which she took great pride, a dear friend to many who invested her energy into forming lasting and deep friendships, and a compassionate soul who built a distinguished career in social work where she touched the lives of many patients and their families. She was a wonderful mother to her children and advocated for their education and encouraged their exposure to art, music, theatre, culture, and athletics. In her later years, she welcomed her daughters-in-law, Mary Swanson Choquette (St. Louis, MO) and Teri Clar (Des Moines, IA) into the family with open arms. She was a beloved grandmother to Emmett (8), Oliver (8), and Maisie (4) giving them so much undivided attention: singing, playing, and reading with them for hours on end.

There are so many admirable qualities that Jane encompassed. She was an engaged listener who made a difference in all the lives that she touched. Jane had many wonderful friends in return. She was a political activist, a supporter of women’s and minorities’ rights, a news junkie, and a voracious reader. She never stopped learning and was always happy to share her opinions openly and with conviction - rarely ever pulling any punches. Empathetic and pensive, Jane never missed an opportunity to support the people she loved and was someone who always showed up ready to help, listen, serve, and celebrate.

If she was not at the basketball game cheering on her sons, traveling around the world with her daughter or sisters, supporting a school or community function with her husband, thrift shopping with friends, making phone calls for a political campaign, at the public library picking out books, working on redecorating a room inspired by one her “many” magazines, or simply sitting on the floor with her grandchildren letting hours pass as they imagined together...then you would likely find Jane in her garden. Jane knew how to nurture and help things bloom and she was never afraid to get her hands dirty in the process. We will remember her and her lasting legacy every time we see flowers in full bloom.


The family requests the wearing of masks. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday, September 17, 2021 at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines. Memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 18th also at the funeral home followed by burial at Glendale Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Little Big Women at www.littlebigwomen.org.

Condolences may be expressed at: www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

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