Janice Meerdink

Janice “Jan” Meerdink, 83, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 16, 2026, following a decade-long battle with COPD. She had entered hospice care at the Neenah VNA facility less than a week earlier.

Jan was born December 29, 1942, in Neenah, daughter of Erhardt “Gary” Badtke and Geraldine “Gerry” (Blohm) Badtke. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Russell; daughter, Leslie Neipp (Chris); son, Todd (Suzanne); and grandson, Hunter Charles.

After graduating from Neenah High School, Jan worked in the Patent and Trademark division of Kimberly-Clark. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s call to public service, she became active in Democratic politics and met Russ at a 1964 campaign meeting in Oshkosh. Their shared commitment to public service led them to Washington, D.C., where they worked on Capitol Hill. They married in July 1967, just before Russ left for an assignment in Saigon with the U.S. Foreign Service.

Jan’s forays into the world of politics were frequent, and sometimes she used her keen intellect to have a little fun. Shortly after being married, Jan became the new hero for the Village of Winneconne after the state of WI inadvertently left Winneconne, WI off the newly published maps. Travelers were stymied and the village’s tourism was in jeopardy. A contest run by the Village asked residents how to respond when the State of WI refused to update the maps until the following year. Jan and her roommate Kay Kipsine won the contest, proposing the Village secede from the state, birthing the new Sovereign State of Winneconne. 

The details of the legendary story are too many to mention here, but every year since the fateful few hours that Winneconne became its own state, the Village has celebrated Succession Days to mark its, and Jan’s, position in history. Years later, in 2017, a musical was developed around the events of that day with Jan again taking a pivotal role in the development and retelling of the story throughout  the summer at Door County’s Northern Lights Theater in Peninsula State Park.

After returning to Wisconsin with their family in 1972, Jan became the first woman elected to the Menasha City Council, serving two terms. She later was appointed by Atty. General Bronson LaFollette served on several Wisconsin committees addressing juvenile justice.

Her greatest joy came through horses. Jan and Russ eventually established a farm near Neenah, WI where they bred and raised more than 40 Thoroughbreds. Horses they raised raced throughout North America and overseas. Their involvement also led to a successful book-publishing business and lifelong friendships with people throughout the racing world.

Jan cherished her family, her farm, her horses, and the many people whose lives she touched. She requested that her ashes be scattered across the pastures of the farm where she spent her happiest years.