Beloved mother, wife, friend and counselor Janice Caron passes away at 66
Obituary
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER

Some people teach with textbooks, maps and charts. Janice Caron taught by example, always caring, soft spoken and more than willing to listen patiently without judging anyone who sought her counsel.

A woman devoted to her job as middle school guidance counselor for two decades and dedicated to her family, Mrs. Caron died at home from complications of breast cancer on Tuesday morning, September 23, with her husband and children by her side.

Janice M. Caron was born in Gardner, Mass. on January 7, 1942. She earned her bachelor's degree in history from Regis College and her master's degree in education with a major in school guidance from Fitchburg State College. She began teaching Spanish at Gardner High School in 1964 where she remained until she retired in 1969 to begin a family.

She met her husband Dennis at the Boston Public Library in 1963 and the couple wed on July 29, 1967. They honeymooned on Nantucket and never forgot its lure. Their first child, Monique, was born in Gardner in January, 1972 and the Carons moved to Nantucket that fall. Mrs. Caron started working part-time at the Nantucket Counseling Service in 1974. The couple's second child, Dennis Jr., was born in September, 1975. Mrs. Caron stayed at the counseling service until 1984 when the Caron's third child, Robert, was born in July and Mrs. Caron became employed as a middle school guidance counselor at the old Cyrus Peirce School. She retired in 2004 from a job well suited to her kind and gentle nature.

During an interview with The Nantucket Independent in June, 2004, Mrs. Caron said, "I have had the greatest job in the world... but I think it's important to move on in life. Dennis and I will enjoy each other. We are just going to enjoy our time together wherever we might be and whatever we do." She also spoke about the children she counseled over the years.

"A lot has changed in society, but when you're talking about children, the same kinds of issues are important in their minds. They want to know people care about them and they have someone to go to."

Those who knew Mrs. Caron knew that she made herself available to everyone needing to talk about whatever troubled, confused or excited them.

"Janice was a good friend, a loving wife and a devoted mother. In school she was an exceptional counselor. She was a good listener and she knew how to calm children down. She had that quiet manner about her and she could bring that out in others," said Lyn Kalman, retired Cyrus Peirce principal. "We had a great professional relationship as well as a personal relationship."

Retired teacher Dick Herman's household will never be quite the same anymore during holidays and football games.

"She was a great lady. We've been friends since they got to the island. When she was at school she was the ultimate professional — a guidance counselor is a very important position. She was a pleasure to have as a friend, as a colleague," said Herman. "We used to alternate Christmas Eve and we were always together for the Super Bowl, so there is a lot of special closeness."

Teacher Elaine Russell, who worked with Mrs. Caron for 10 years, and high school football coach Vito Capizzo echoed others' praises for Mrs. Caron.

"Janice Caron will always be remembered as a wonderful mom, teacher and person," Capizzo said. "She always viewed everything in a positive sight. She will be dearly missed."

"She was a good listener," said Russell. "I know she always had good advice for me. She was just a nice person."

Retired high school English teacher Helene Blair knew Mrs. Caron since she moved to the island and respected her integrity.

"Janice was one of the most classy, intelligent, compassionate people I have had the pleasure to know," said Blair. "She was just a wonderful mother. She was hoping Rob would get here because she wanted to be sure she could give him one last hug."

That hope came true with Robert's arrival from 29 Palms, Calif., where he is a second lieutenant stationed with the 11th Marines, third battalion.

"We were all here and present for her passing," said her husband Dennis. "Janice was completely and totally involved with the family. Whatever the family was doing, she was right in the thick of it, guiding us, cooking for us, whatever we needed."

Mrs. Caron's son Dennis, Jr. has clear and fond memories of his mother's devotion to her family.

"She was absolutely committed to helping any and all of us in whatever we were doing and being a positive presence in our lives on a daily basis," he said. "It was not just when we were children; she was so much of a constant in our lives even to the present day. She and dad went to as many [of our] games as they could when we were in high school and college"

Mrs. Caron is survived by her husband Dennis Caron, her daughter Monique Malloy and son-in-law Nathan Malloy of Nantucket, her son Dennis, Jr. and daughter-in-law, Lana Caron of Boston, her son Robert of California, and several nieces and nephews.

A wake was held last Friday at St. Mary's Church. The funeral Mass was Saturday morning, September 27. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Caron's memory to Hospice Care of Nantucket or the Marla Lamb Fund. I