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Janet Johnson Trsar...by Connie Johnson Rymsza
Janet and her twin brother Jim were born July 19, 1951 to Edward &
Genevieve Johnson. They lived above Edward’s parents in Evanston,
IL.
In 1956, after the addition of 3 more siblings, the family moved to
a new home on Wolf Road in Wheeling, where the family continued to
grow.
In 1966, the family with 8 children moved to a larger home in Mt.
Prospect. Janet was a freshman at Wheeling High at the time.
While riding the bus back & forth to school, Janet met her future
husband, Dale. He lived just two blocks away and remembers their
early years becoming friends and “hanging out at the park”, riding
mini bikes.
Janet had a sad time when her father passed away suddenly during her
senior year, in April 1969. In July of that year, Jan began a job at
Commonwealth Edison where her father had worked for over 30 years.
Janet and Dale were married in November of 1970 and moved to their
first home in Rolling Meadows. Jan retired with the birth of their
first son, John “Edward”, named after her father. John was born in
December 1973.
Janet’s mom met a wonderful man, Donald Gaertner, and they were
married in July of 1976. Jan & Dale bought mom’s home in Mt.
Prospect and their family continued to grow.
Their daughter, Cathy, was born in April 1977 and Joe in March of
1980. They remained in that home and spend much time following their
children from sport to sport, enjoying them so much.
In 1993 their son, Joe, found them a new home several blocks away.
It had the perfect kitchen, family room and yard, which connected up
to his friend’s. Jan really enjoyed this home and working in the
garden where the wild flowers are so bright and beautiful.
Jan had stayed at home with her children until she found a job at
Prospect High School in August of 1992 as a Division Assistant. Jan
became very active with their local union serving as Union President
for many years. Jan remained at Prospect until 2000 when she moved
to the Human Resource Department in the administration department at
Forest View Educational Center. Jan truly loved working for District
214 and found many very good friends there.
Jan had some sad news a year ago, in March of 2003. When she learned
that she had breast cancer she turned to God and found courage to
face it each day. Her family and so many friends prayed for her and
offered encouragement. However, more often than not, Jan was the one
to encourage them. Jan made it easy for all of us because she never
complained – often going for treatments just before or after
working. She missed few days during the regime of chemo, then
surgery, them more chemo and finally radiation. The family is so
grateful to her friends and co-workers for their love, support and
prayers. Jan just loved going to work and spending time with them.
She grew closer to God during that time, so very grateful for the
gift of His Son whom she accepted as her Savior. Jan often said the
prayers of her friends and family were answered because she felt at
peace and was able to enjoy each day so very much.
Treatments finally ended, just in time for her daughter, Cathy’s,
beautiful wedding to Kevin this past November. Jan felt and looked
wonderful and the entire family enjoyed this very happy occasion.
Jan had just a couple of months before being surprised by her cancer
returning. Jan was courageous once again, however this time was
different. Jan turned inward to her God and was grateful to know
where she was going. She joined Him in heaven early Wednesday
morning, surrounded by her family.
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Mom...by Cathy Yanong
We gather today to share our
love for and our memories of our wife, our mom, our sister, our
aunt, our friend, our coworker, and a wonderful and beautiful woman.
There are so many tributes that show just how loved Mom is: All of
you being here today, the many, many cards that were sent to her,
and the outpouring of prayers and thoughts for her.
It’s hard not to ask why: Why this happened to her and why she had
to experience so much pain. But there are answers that can provide
us with comfort. For some reason that we may never know while here
on earth, heaven needs her more than we do. Mom believed in the
Lord, and she believed that after her passing, she would be accepted
into heaven to be with Him, with her Moms and Dads and Papa Don, and
others who were waiting for her. To get there, she had to go through
more tests and trials than one should ever have to endure. But
throughout her fight, she showed us just how amazingly strong and
stubborn she was. She rarely missed a day of work because, even if
she didn’t physically feel 100 percent, she knew that seeing her
friends and the satisfaction of her work would lift her heart and
make her forget about her struggle for a little while. She even went
on two trips last year: to Ireland with Dad, and to South Carolina
with her sisters and cousins. She let nothing keep her from living
her life the way she wanted it to be.
Mom was such an amazing and special person. She was kind and
selfless, she was encouraging and giving, she was comforting and
inspiring, she always saw the positives and good in people, and she
was exceptionally beautiful, inside and out. She always put others
before herself without expectation. She allowed everyone to be them
self, and somehow she was the perfect compliment to all of us,
especially her family. She loved and was proud of everything that we
did. She took photographs of every house and yard project that Dad
took on, truly understood and supported John’s life dreams, and
repeatedly told stories of Joe making her laugh until she was in
tears.
To me, she was the mother whom I hope to become one day. I saw her
love for my Dad every day through her support of him, of his work
and his hobbies. It was unconditional, faithful, and unwavering. And
he knew that she made every day as special as she could. For her
kids, she created a home in which we could thrive. She instilled in
us such confidence without so many words-just her example. She
supported every decision we made while quietly offering her advice
and not ever judging us. Whatever was important to us was important
to her. In my life, she grew to love Kevin so quickly, caring and
looking out for him as one of her own children. She always planned
holidays around Kevin’s family dinners so that he and I could spend
the day at both houses. Our pride in her is boundless: the simple
way she lived her life, believing that love and friendship make the
world go around.
Now, there is a deep emptiness within me, and I can’t imagine the
day when I will live without feeling this way. Mom was my constant,
my calming force, and my comfort. She always knew the right answers
to all of my questions, somehow. At the end, when her cancer became
too much for even her to bear, and the only way to end her pain was
for her to make her peace with God, she was not afraid. The hardest
thing I have ever had to do was to follow her into selflessness and
ask God to take her into his arms and to take care of her, because I
came to realize that nobody else in this world could. But,
superseding my faith in God and my comfort that she is no longer
suffering, is the simple fact that I miss her. I miss her so deeply;
every minute; when I open my eyes in the morning, and at night when
I try to dream about her. I miss her smile, I miss her arms around
me, and I miss her phone calls just to tell me how much she loves
me…. I simply miss her.
As we start to say goodbye to Mom, let one thought always remain
with you: Become to another what she became to you. Whether, to you,
she was the love of your life who showed you how wonderful the world
can be, a parent full of pure and unconditional love, support, and
dedication, a sibling who was also one of your best friends, whom
you knew was always just a phone call away, an aunt who always
wanted to know the happenings of your life, a special friend to
laugh with, cry with, and share your life with, a dependable
coworker, a second mom, a roll model, or simply an extremely kind
lady, keep her memory within you by realizing who she was to you,
and become that person for someone else. Better the world through
her; this will keep her spirit alive with us all.
Mom, we all love you with our whole hearts, and we miss you with our
whole souls.
Have fun, and be good.
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