Janice L. (Casassa) Ragusa of West Roxbury, passed away on January 15, 2024. Beloved wife of Robert R. Ragusa. Devoted mother of Beth Byrne and her husband Edward of AL, Jill Ragusa and her wife Elizabeth Baumann of Roslindale, and Michael Ragusa and his wife Elizabeth of Millis. Dear sister of Edward Casassa of FL and Roberta Dee of Wareham. Loving grandmother of Ned, Will, and Catherine Byrne, Gus DeCoste, Ruthie Baumann, Maggie, Luke, and Sophie Ragusa, and the late Grace and Gianna Byrne. Aunt of Kimberly Davidson, Meredith Yanofsky, Kimberly Gomez, and the late Emily Dee.
Born in Somerville, Jan, a pediatric RN, received her degree from the then Simmons College in 1965. She then became a Nursing Supervisor at Tufts New England Medical Center, also known as the Floating Hospital. After a 14-year hiatus spent raising her family, Jan returned to nursing in 1988 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, retiring in 2011. Above all, Jan was devoted to her family, doting on her grandchildren, who called her Mimi. She was an avid Bruins fan and a member of the famous Gallery Gods. After every Bruins goal, Jan rang her cowbell, to be heard loud and clear all over the old Boston Garden. She was there the day the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1970. A legendary cook and baker, Jan also loved tending to her garden at the family’s summer home in Wareham. Years ago, at the opening assembly of the school year, Sister Virginia, principal of St. Theresa's School, credited Jan with the original idea of a prekindergarten program, which has now been in operation for decades. This wonderful, lovely, multi-talented, religious woman, a remarkable nurse, wife, mother and grandmother, will be dearly missed.
Funeral from the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre St., West Roxbury, on Wednesday, January 24th at 10:00am. Followed by a Funeral Mass in St. John Chrysostom Church at 11:00am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Interment Private. Visiting Hours on Tuesday, January 23rd from 4:00 to 8:00pm in the Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Janice may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association MA/NH Chapter, 309 Waverley Oaks Rd., Waltham, MA 02452 or www.alz.org.