Janice Saquet, 81
Dateline: Mansfield, MA
Janice (Smigle) Saquet, 81, of Mansfield, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Brighton after battling pulmonary fibrosis.
Janice meant so much to so many people and will be missed by friends and family alike.
She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a caring friend to everyone. Her home was open, and all were welcome. Holiday meals often fed twenty- five or more people--there was always room for one more at her table. She organized family reunions, known as "hummus summits," that recognized her husband's Lebanese ancestry.
Janice loved to travel, and her favorite destination was New Orleans where she fell in love with the music, dancing, culture and the food. Over the years she traveled with her husband to Thailand, Italy, Canada, Mexico, France, Romania and to Prague in the Czech Republic. They also went on many cruises on the Mississippi River and to the Bahamas, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. In recent years she was able to visit Mt. Rushmore and the Grand Canyon.
Janice was born in Rome, NY on Sept 26, 1939. Her parents were Veronica (Lech) Smigle and John Smigle who were children of Polish immigrants. Janice was proud of her Polish heritage, could dance a spirited polka and loved preparing meals of pierogis, Kapustka and kielbasa.
After High School she attended nursing school in Rochester NY. She met her husband Robert while working as a Registered Nurse in Boston and they were married in 1966. A year later they moved to Mansfield where they raised their four children.
She was an avid Red Sox fan, cheered for the Patriots and never missed an episode of Jeopardy. She enjoyed reading, sewing and teaching her granddaughter to knit. As a wife and mother, she was proud of everyone's accomplishments. She shared her husband’s enthusiasm for public service and business. As grandchildren were born, she traveled near and far to help and guide their young mothers.
Over the years she had been active in the Mansfield High School Band Parents, and the League of Women Voters. Most recently she was part of Live Strong, a support group for cancer survivors sponsored by the YMCA, where she made many cherished friendships.
For several years she was a Registered nurse at Morton Hospital in Taunton. She also helped at the family business, Eggers Furniture Co in Middleboro, and prior to retirement was employed at Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Janice is survived by her husband of over 50 years, Robert, and children Mary and her husband Kevin Moran, Thomas and his wife Daniela, Jennifer and her husband Jeff Vaught of Shawnee KS, and son Robert J. and his former wife Elizabeth.
She will also be remembered by her loving grandchildren Jack Moran, Joey Moran, Robert P Saquet, Quinn Vaught, Annika Vaught, and Veronica Saquet. She is also survived by her brother Thomas Smigle of New York and his children Lisa and John, the entire Saquet clan including many brothers and sisters-in-law, over a dozen nieces and nephews, and the many friends she considered to be part of her family.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visiting hours on Sunday, March 28th from 1:00-4:00 P.M. at the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home, 55 North Main St., Mansfield.
A service in celebration of her life will be held at the conclusion of visiting hours on Sunday at 4:00 P.M. in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Janice’s memory may be made to MMAS, P.O. Box 1283, Mansfield, MA 02048.
To send her family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com