John Stephan Janda's Obituary
On the morning of September 27th, 2019, John Stephan Janda, loving husband, father, brother, and friend, passed away at the age of 76. John was preceded in death by his brothers Vincent and Kenneth and is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen, his son, John (wife Nell), daughter Jennifer (husband Christian), his grandchildren, Lillian, Isabel and Sean. Also survived by his brother, Thomas (wife Diane), and his niece, Cassandra, along with several cousins and many friends.
John started life in 1943 on the south side of Chicago. Born into a family with little means, and being the oldest of 4 boys, he often worked odd jobs throughout his childhood to help support his family. At the age of 17, he joined the Navy, where he continued to help his mother and small brothers by sending them his military wages.
He was honorably discharged and returned to Chicago, where he later attended the Chicago Police Academy. With hard work and determination, he entered the force, serving to protect the safety and rights of the public as a police officer and homicide detective for 31 years.
He met the love of his life, Mary Ellen, winning her heart and, after just a year of dating, they married in 1973. After a few years of honeymoon bliss, they had two children, first John and then Jennifer, to ensure that their lives would always be full of love, worry, excitement, and craziness.
John’s humor and personality were infectious; he loved to spread laughter at dinner with friends, at parties, and social gatherings of all kinds. His stories were legendary often leaving the recipient laughing for days. A throat cancer survivor who, when cancer took his voice, it couldn’t dampen his humor and he quickly worked his electrolarynx, and eventual vocal prosthetic, into his jokes and stories.
Besides being known for his laugh, John was an extremely generous man. From his charity work with Amerital-UNICO while in Chicago to his advocacy for laryngectomy awareness while in Florida, John never ignored his fellow man. He was the first to offer the less fortunate a free meal, help the disabled, and comfort anyone who was suffering. Above all, he respected humanity and the right everyone has to a dignified, meaningful life.
His warm smile, compassionate heart, and kind soul will be missed.
Military Honors will be rendered on Wednesday, October 16th at 2:30 pm at Bay Pines VA Cemetery in St. Petersburg. A Funeral Mass will be Thursday, October 17th at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Clearwater. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Alzheimer’s research.
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