Janice Lynn Kuehnemund, age 59 of Colorado formerly of St. Paul died on October 10, 2013. Jan Kuehneund, lead guitarist, singer/songwriter, gold record recording artist and founder of the all-female band VIXEN, sadly passed away in Colorado Springs, CO after a nine month battle with cancer. Her grief stricken family, mother Betty; brother Ron; sister in law Patty and extended members; niece Tina and family; cousins Bonnie and Karen, cannot believe that Jan is gone since she was always so health conscious. She was preceded in death her father, Carl. As a young girl Jan took organ lessons. One day her dad bought a guitar for himself then decided it wasn't for him. Jan picked up the guitar, fell in love and the rest is history. Jan and good friend Nancy (Kraft) Palumbo learned to play the guitars together. One of their first shows was at a nursing home! Soon Jan had a brainstorm about starting an all-girl band. So, she recruited some friends to join her. They are Laurie Hedlund (drums), Cindy Boettcher (keyboards) and Gayle (Erickson) DeMatoff (bass guitar). At first they called the band Lemon Pepper and rehearsed in garages and basements at the homes of all their parents. Quickly they found a manager, started performing around the Twin Cities followed by touring all over the country and had changed the name to VIXEN. They were the opening act for major '70's artists such as: Styx, Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon, Bob Seeger and many more. The girls were really good, really serious and really ready to make it big. So they left Minnesota and moved to Los Angeles in 1979. Soon they were playing at all of the Hollywood's biggest rock clubs: The Whiskey, Roxy and Troubador as well as recording at famed studio Chateau with a big name producer. By the mid-80's, Cindy, Laurie and Gayle had gone on to pursue other things while remaining to stay best friends. Jan never gave up on her dream to make VIXEN rise to the top. With newly handpicked members Jan and her band rose to worldwide fame after the release of the albums: Vixen (gold record) and Rev It Up. Hit singles included Edge of a Broken Heart and Cryin. Jan along with various band mates were in the film Hardbodies and the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years. Jan was a beautiful person both inside and out. Her true signature was her glorious mane of long, thick blond hair. Wherever she went heads would turn in awe of her great beauty. Whoever was lucky enough to have known her will remember Jan as being so loving, caring, loyal, generous, sweet and kind. She never forgot anyone's birthday and always made it back to Minnesota to spend Christmas with her beloved family. All of this plus being one of the greatest female guitarists of all time. What an amazing legacy Jan has left for us all! Through all her incredible drive, determination and success, she always remained true to who she was. Jan Kuehneund from St. Paul, Minnesota. A GIRL, A GUITAR AND A DREAM The family would like to give our heartfelt thanks to all of her many friends and fans for loving her as we have always loved her.