MIDDLETON - Janice Audrey (Skinner) Hood passed peacefully at her home on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Janice lived a life defined by compassion, adventure, and an unwavering devotion to those she loved. She created a home filled with love, laughter, and unconditional support for her husband, daughter, and son. As a military family they moved frequently across the country, eventually settling in Middleton, Wis., after retirement.

Janice was born in Madison, Wis., and later moved to central Iowa, where she graduated from high school. She launched her professional career with nursing training at Mercy Medical in Des Moines, Iowa. As a Registered Nurse (RN), Janice worked in emergency rooms in Florida and then St. Louis, Mo., where she met her future husband, Tim Hood, a young naval officer just beginning his career. Always seeking adventure, Janice became a courier nurse on the Santa Fe Railroad and when the Vietnam War escalated, she joined the newly created USAID as a civilian nurse in Vietnam. During a phone call with Tim, Janice told him she was going to Vietnam - and he responded, "So am I." Tim volunteered to serve as a Swift Boat officer-in-charge while Janice served in Tra Vinh province at a Vietnamese hospital where she demonstrated extraordinary dedication under challenging conditions, including intermittent electricity from a small generator and a lack of running water. She made her daily rounds at the jungle hospital with a small Derringer pistol (on loan from a local CIA officer) in one pocket and a handful of morphine ampules in the other - a testament to her courage and grace in a dangerous environment. Janice and Tim were able to rendezvous several times in Vietnam and decided to marry. Upon completing their Vietnam service, they traveled to Hong Kong and were married at St. Margaret's Church in Happy Valley. With a marriage certificate written in Chinese they honeymooned at the Repulse Bay Hotel in Hong Kong - fittingly, the very hotel where the film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing was shot, a detail Janice always noted with delight.

Married family life began in Carmel, Calif., while Tim attended the Naval Postgraduate School and Janice worked at a local hospital. In time, their daughter and son were born, and the family followed Tim's duty station assignments as Janice continued to pursue her distinguished nursing career. As a Registered Nurse for over 37 years, Janice dedicated herself to the care and wellbeing of her patients in a remarkable range of roles: emergency room nurse, travel nurse, wartime and combat nurse, pediatric nurse, eldercare nurse, and finally as the school nurse at the Islamic Saudi Academy. Her career was a reflection of her limitless compassion and her gift for meeting people exactly where they needed her. Shortly after Tim's retirement as a Rear Admiral, Janice and he returned to Wisconsin, where Janice had always felt most at home.

Janice's remarkable sense of adventure and enthusiasm for life never faded. She drew people to her naturally, becoming a beloved friend to many and the favorite aunt to countless nieces and nephews. She was known for her playful spirit, ready laugh, quick wit, and mischievous sense of humor. All who knew her will remember, with deep gratitude, a life lived fully - filled with love, laughter, and adventure. She nurtured lifelong friendships and was always the joyful instigator of fun. She created a beautiful home where everyone felt at ease and truly connected.

Janice is survived by her husband, John Timothy Hood; daughter, Jennifer Teresa Hood; son, Matthew Logan Hood (Natalie); grandson, Timothy Mathias Hood; brother, Bill Skinner (Ellen); brother-in-law, Tom Hood (Wilma); sister-in-law, Kathy Skinner; and many devoted nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as cherished friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, William and Doris (Kopp) Skinner; and brother, Dennis Skinner.

A small, private family graveside service will be held at Resurrection Cemetery at a later date.

Janice and Tim generously contributed time and resources to St. Coletta, a community which nurtures and supports the developmentally disabled, including their daughter, Jennifer. Memorial gifts in Janice's honor are warmly welcomed at https://www.stcolettawi.org/

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West
Funeral & Cremation Care
7435 University Ave.
(608) 831-6761

Janice Audrey Hood

June 29, 1939 - June 23, 2026

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