Janice's Eulogy

The following Eulogy for Janice Joy Melisi was written and given by Cindy Mooney. Cindy was an honorary daughter of Janice and still a close member of the family. There are three types of friendships in life. Friends for a reason: someone who comes into your life with a purpose. It may be fleeting or last a little while, but the friend was there and with meaning. Then there are friends for a season. These types of friendships last a little longer. As a kid, it may have been a friend in school or an activity. But once that phase in your life was done, the friendship would just dwindle away.

Then, there is the special type of friendship. A little more rare, but extremely precious… These are friends for a lifetime. Friends for a lifetime go beyond just friends, they become the family that you choose. 

I’ve been lucky enough to have made “friends for a lifetime” with the Melisi family. The story goes like this… the Melisi family moved here in 1995. We had a girl in the neighborhood that was a bit of a bully. It was the first couple weeks of school and this girl on the bus was picking on Becka. I stepped in and told her to leave Becka alone. That day, Becka invited me over to her house for an after school snack. We were greeted by Janice and thus began our lifelong friendship. Little did I know, that afternoon snack around the table with this loving mother, offering her words of wisdom, would be the first of decades to come. Over the years, this has become one of my favorite stories to hear Janice and Becka tell. The funny part about the story is, I don’t even remember it! I’ve kind of created a scenario in my head as I’ve listened to them tell the story. But I truly don’t remember it happening. It’s odd how different moments in one's life are so monumental to one and forgotten by others. And although that particular story is now just a story to me instead of a memory, it is so important as it directed me into this family's lives and I am forever grateful for the impact they have made, especially Janice. 

Cindy Mooney with Janice Melisi

When introduced to another by Janice, I was referred to as “her daughter from another mother!”  Even recently when greeted by the hospital chaplain for an afternoon prayer, she asked Janice, “Are these your daughters?” Without hesitation, the answer was, “yes”. Janice had the kindest heart and loved me as her own. Not only did this make me feel special, I felt honored to have Janice as my second Mom. 

Mom. Wow. You hear that word and it has so much meaning. Moms are the ones who love you no matter what. They are your biggest fans- your support system. The one who really runs the house. They cook, clean, and pay the bills. They chauffeur you around and offer sage advice at critical moments in one's life. They are by your side during the good times and the bad. Moms are amazing. And Janice was the Best mom around! But Janice didn’t only wear the hat of Mom. She was a daughter, sister, wife, daughter in law, caregiver, babysitter, friend, and one that I think she held very dearly- was being a godmother… She wore all these hats and did each of them to her fullest.

To know Janice is to know love. And boy did she love fiercely. She wanted nothing but the best for everyone in life. 

Janice was born September 30th 1954. She was the only girl in a house full of boys. With two older brothers, Greg and Warren, and two younger brothers, Steven and Christopher, she started her nurturing motherly nature at a young age. Growing up in Hacienda Heights, CA, she was always fond of horses.  As a young girl, she had a collection of plastic horses in her bedroom that she would play with. Janice was very excited when she became friends with a girl who owned horses. This enhanced her passion as she had the opportunity to ride from time to time. As she got older her passion turned to Church, joining a youth group and later joining the youth choir.  

Janice was born to express that divine maternal love. She was a mom before she was even a mother… caring for her siblings, looking out for everyone in her family, and extending that familial love and protection into her community as far as she could reach. In September 1983, Janice received her first blessing from god, Rebecca. Janice saw a bright light in Becka and did everything in her power to let it shine. They created a unique bond that only a mother and daughter could form right from the beginning.

In 1987, Janice started dating the love of her life, John Melisi. I remember sitting down and listening to Janice tell me of her love story. How this amazing man came into her life, treated her and her daughter with kindness, love, respect, and brought support and comfort to them. Every love story is unique and special, but John and Janice’s is inspiring and admirable. I always knew I wanted a man that could light up my face, the way Janice did when she talked about “her honey… her sweetie!” John, you were her rock, her true love, her everything!

From there, the Melisi family grew. In October of 1988, Janice had her first son, John Junior. A spitting image of the Rich side of the family. It was at this time the Melisi family considered themselves complete. But a sign from God was given when they picked up John’s wedding ring to find five diamonds instead of four–one to represent each member of the family. The jeweler said “four didn’t look right” and so John and Janice chalked it up as a diamond for the dog. But in 1991, the couple would find themselves pregnant once more. And, in 1992, her baby boy, Joseph, was born. Looking just like his dad, Joe was the perfect finishing touch to the Melisi family.  

Janice devoted her life to her husband and children. Attending countless sporting events such as baseball and wrestling matches, choir concerts and dance shows: she was attentive, supportive, and each of her children’s biggest fans. She filled her house with laughter, comfort, and love. She was the matriarch of the family. Nothing made her happier than having all of her children together, especially through these past couple of years. Gatherings were an opportunity to put away the outside world and just be together- to laugh, play games, enjoy each other's humor, and create long lasting memories. These moments were what mattered the most to her. I was fortunate enough to be a part of some of these moments. Traveling across the country to Connecticut to visit John’s family. To California to visit Janice’s family. Countless summer vacations in Wisconsin at Star Lake. From figuring out the perfect set up of the tv in the car or our heads in the cooler wanting food (Ok, maybe it just was my head)- to nights staring at the stars or anchors being forgotten to be pulled out of the water- Janice and John showed us kids what truly matters in life, family. 

As her children became young adults, Janice focused more of her day to day life on her church community. Spending every week in a prayer group and every Sunday at church. She wanted to give back to her community. Just a couple weeks ago, she spoke about wanting to take in a refugee family and pay it forward. Janice had a heart of gold. She enjoyed spending time with her neighbors and having meals with friends. She liked to visit, share pictures, and brag about her Godchildren Rocko and London.

Janice was creative! She loved to sing like a bird and made beautiful crafts to give friends as gifts. She was that rare, special kind of person, that still spent time to personalize hand written notes in cards and mail them. Everyone meant a lot to her and that was one of her many ways of showing it. One of Janice’s special qualities was her ability to forgive. Forgiveness can be a hard lesson to learn, but she did it so gracefully!

Janice with her nephew, Rocco, and niece, London in South Carolina on a beach vacation.

Janice always had her arms open and welcoming to all. As her children became adults, she found fulfillment in knowing that her own children had found the loves of their lives. She had taken Bridget, Grace, and Lucas in as her own. She made them feel a part of the family and loved them with all her heart. Three of the happiest days of her life were the days her children got married. The smile on her face was priceless. The joy she found being surrounded by her family was truly precious to witness. 

As Janice’s nurturing nature showed itself at an early age providing care and love to her little brother Chris, she also welcomed him into her home and provided that same love and care for his last years of his life. Without hesitation Janice and John took on the special responsibilities it took to take care of Chris. Janice’s brothers are convinced that due to the care Chris received from Janice and John, Chris lived several months longer with a much better quality of life. This was a perfect example of how Janice and John were selfless, giving, and family oriented.

Janice was a proud mother. John and her nurtured their three young children into three amazing adults. They are kind, responsible, and loving. Over the past couple weeks, I have witnessed them be authentic, sensitive, and emotionally real as they handled such a devastatingly sad event unfolding. They shared gratitude openly, wept openly, and were truly attuned to others’ needs. They showed empathy and I couldn’t help but think how these behaviors were modeled and instilled in them by their loving mother and father. 

Janice is no longer in pain. She is in heaven reunited with loved ones that had passed before her. She is watching down on us as our guardian angel. Janice was special and we all were lucky to have known her. Janice, we all love you! And you will be forever missed!