Janet Roosevelt Katten

January 15, 1930 - November 5, 2020

Janet Roosevelt Katten passed away Thursday surrounded by family in her beloved home at the edge of Glen Canyon in San Francisco.

Jan was born in Birmingham, MI, to Dorothy Kemp Roosevelt and G. Hall Roosevelt ( brother of Eleanor Roosevelt). She grew up in the Detroit area with her two older sisters, Amy and Diana. Holidays took her to the White House and Hyde Park to visit her aunt and uncle, Eleanor and FDR, leaving Jan stories with which to regale the family her entire life. Jan went to Bennington College in Vermont, and later attended the Institute of Design in Chicago, where she studied at The New Bauhaus. In Chicago, Jan met and married Dan Walker, and soon after moved to Bellingham, WA. Now on the West Coast, she used her training to help design a Bauhausinspired home. It was also there that Jan had her first two children, Hall and Dana. After her divorce, in 1961 Jan, Hall and Dana moved to San Francisco to be near Jan’s sister and brother in law, Diana and Agar Jaicks. After the move, Jan continued her creative work designing lamps for Gump’s. San Francisco was home the remainder of her life. And it was in San Francisco that she met and married, in 1962, Andrew Katten, a third- generation San Franciscan, and had her other two children, Michael and Stephen.

Jan participated in the community at all levels, focusing on the lives her children connected her to as they grew up attending San Francisco public schools. Whether as a member of the PTA, mentoring at school reading programs, and otherwise helping to tutor children in need, teachers and the community always knew they could rely on Jan for support. Never far from politics, especially as a Roosevelt and ardent supporter of the Democratic Party, she could always be counted on to host fundraisers and support the great tradition of San Francisco progressive politics.

Jan was both a talented artist and a lover of the arts. She did pen and ink drawings for a book that Dana wrote, and painted and sculpted throughout her life, her home becoming a museum- like testament to her artistry. Jan was a regular at San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque and other musical events. She was a patron of the arts and a member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music board of directors. Jan loved horses and anything to do with them.

She was an accomplished rider and loved raising horses, attending the races, and vacationing at dude ranches ( from childhood), especially the CM Ranch in Wyoming. Jan was an avid tennis player, and continued playing late into life. She and Andy were regular bridge partners, a pastime she continued to the very end, years after Andy’s passing in 1999. In all these endeavors, Throughout her life, Jan built a wider and wider community of friends, admirers and loved ones, all who dearly appreciated this grand and elegant lady. Her epic birthday celebrations later in life showed the enormous range of connections she developed and nurtured over the years.

Jan was especially excited about her family, home, and gardens. She never flagged in her support and love for the wildly various paths each of her children took. She loved gatherings of her five grandchildren and her two great grandchildren. Holidays were can’t- miss affairs for everyone. Jan made them special and inviting. Her far- flung family made sure to gather in San Francisco at the edge of Glen Canyon during the close of each year. Her home was always warm and inviting. Friends knew a gin cocktail awaited them if they dropped by Jan’s after five on any day.

Jan is survived by her four children and their families: Hall and Teresa of Bellingham and Hall’s children, Hall Campbell, his wife Amber and their two children, Eleanora and Magnus of Bellingham, and Barrett of Seattle and her partner Aaron; Dana and Mark of Boulder, CO, and Dana’s son, Daniel of Denver, CO, and his partner Erin; Michael and Vanaja of El Cerrito, CA and their children Isaac of Oakland, CA, and his partner Cassandra, and Sarah of El Cerrito; and Stephen of San Francisco.

A celebration of life will be held according to Covid protocols pending family arrangements. Donations in memory of Jan’s wonderful life can be made to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Season of Sharing fund in honor of her love for her adopted city and its people.