Janice Marie Reilly, 78, returned to her heavenly home on May 5, 2015 after a valiant battle against cancer. Her devotion to her family and her firm belief in God supported her through her fight and ultimately gave her peace.
Janice was born to the late Kenneth "Kenny" and Audrey Laue on March 25, 1937 in Vincennes, IN. She grew up as the eldest of two sisters and graduated from Saint Rose Academy High School in 1955. In 1956 she married her high school sweetheart, James Francis Reilly III. In 1957, they began their family in Vincennes, IN when their daughter Lynn was born and in 1958 it grew further with the addition of their son James.
Beginning in high school, Janice worked in retail on and off and for her whole life she had a great love of music. When she and her family moved to Maryland in 1972, she began sharing that love as a piano teacher. She continued teaching piano through most of her life, sang in The Musettes and also began an Irish singing group, Colleen's All. Janice received an Associate of Arts degree from Frederick Community College in 1979 and continued to take additional music classes at Hood College and Towson University. Janice had a lifelong dedication to the Catholic Faith and, for as long as she was able, sang in church choirs, including The Resurrection Choir, and was involved in church service groups such as Sodality.
Janice is survived by her daughter, Lynn Denise Van Sweeden; her son, James Francis Reilly IV; her sister, Cindy Josephine Lettshagen; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, James Francis Reilly III; and her parents, Kenneth and Audrey Laue.
A service will be held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Towson, MD on Monday, May 11th at 9:00 am. Afterwards from, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, there will be a wake at Gerry D's in Parkville, MD. All are welcome at both the service and the wake. In lieu of flowers, please send donations for Towson University's Relay For Life to The American Cancer Society's White Marsh office (8219 Town Center Dr, Baltimore, MD 21236) or go to www.relayforlife.org/Towsonmd. All checks should be made out to the American Cancer Society and in the notes section, please specify that the donation is for Towson University's Relay For Life.