Janice Sanders

Janice Marie DiNezza Sanders, 64, peacefully passed away in her home in Hawthorne, NY on Saturday September 28, 2024 after a strong and courageous three-and-a-half-year battle with ALS.

Janice was born on November 15, 1959 in Cleveland, OH. She grew up in Painesville, Ohio and graduated from Riverside High School in 1978.

In 1982, Janice graduated from University of Mount Union, in Alliance, OH. She was a proud Purple Raider and spent many fall Saturdays supporting her alma mater by streaming football games with her family. In 2019, she became an active member of the University's Board of Trustees. After graduating with her degree in accounting, she continued her education at Case Western University and earned an MBA in Finance in 1986.

In 1984, Janice started working at Citibank in Cleveland. Throughout her 35-year career, she was a supportive, organized, and creative leader. Coworkers would frequently refer to her as their "work mom" because of her stock of toiletries, snacks, or even a hair straightener in her office. She was also the person people could turn to if they needed to laugh, vent, or cry. She found value in every day and was proud of her work with leadership development and mentorship with summer intern classes. She held multiple Chief of Staff and Chief Administrative Officer roles during her tenure and retired as a Director of Risk Management in 2018.

Working at Citibank also blessed Janice with lifelong friendships and even the love of her life and dear husband, Tom. They met over a work phone call in the Spring of 1986. She was having trouble navigating a new banking system and someone suggested to have a phone call with Tom, a colleague from the New York City office, and they really hit it off. She talked to her sister after having a few phone calls with him and told her that "this guy from New York" was staying late every day to call and help her. Janice said she thought they might have a connection. They would fly back and forth to see each other and a few months later, they got engaged on her 27th birthday.

On May 2, 1987, Janice and Tom got married in Janice's hometown of Painesville, Ohio but ultimately decided that New York was where they wanted to grow their family. They parented two cats before they eventually welcomed their two children, William ('93) and Katie ('98) into the world. Janice was a natural- born mother. She was patient, generous, encouraging, and nurturing throughout her children's lives. She loved her family with her whole heart, and her children were her world. She coached soccer teams, stayed up late to help edit school papers, and would be there to joyfully listen to every moment of their day. Everything she did, she did with care and love. She was the definition of making the best of the situation. She always made sure her days were spent doing the things she loved. Next to spending time with friends and family, she enjoyed running, taking her golden retrievers for long walks, sewing, cooking, Pilates, gardening, cheering on her children's youth and high school sports teams, leisurely bike rides, and being at her "happy place," - Cape May, New Jersey. Other accomplishments were being a former member of the Junior League of Northern Westchester, countless hours volunteering including a mentorship program with iMentor, and working on her blog "I Just Retired, Now What?" where she inspired hundreds of people with her posts about life during retirement.

In April 2021, Janice was sadly diagnosed with ALS , and was told it would slowly take away her ability to move and speak. Although this was devastating news for her and her loved ones, she spent every single day persevering and making the best of her situation. She never let her disease define her. She continued doing everything she loved, just in different ways and with different resources. Nothing stopped her from living life to the absolute fullest. She would still go on outings around town with friends and family, sit at the beach, help teach her family all her favorite recipes, contribute to her blog, and spent hours laughing with loved ones.

Janice was remarkably strong, and her beautiful smile was contagious. She made an impact on every person that she met and cared for everybody like they were her own family. She is survived by her loving husband Thomas Sanders, son William Sanders (Hanwei Liu), daughter Katie Frawley (Dillon), father Donald DiNezza, sisters Roseanne Colleran (Gene), Susan Lettrich (Phil), sister-in-law Stephanie Sullivan (John), brother-in-law Phil Sanders, nieces and nephews Gene Colleran (Jenny), Joe Colleran (Brittany Sumner), Brian Lettrich (Katie Thompson), Caroline Lettrich, Dan Sullivan, Scott Sullivan, great-nephew and -niece Jack Colleran and Claire Colleran. She is predeceased by her mother Irene DiNezza.

Calling hours will be 4-8pm at Hawthorne Funeral Home on Thursday October 3, followed by a mass at Holy Innocents Church in Pleasantville at 10am on Friday October 4.

In lieu of flowers, Janice's family ask that donations be made to the ALS Association of Greater New York (https://als-ny.org).