John J. Janocha, 91, of Tewksbury, passed away on Wednesday, January 18 at Lowell General Hospital. He was the beloved husband of Shirley (Krauss) Janocha, with whom he shared 62 years of marriage.
A son of the late Joseph and the late Karolina (Lelkiewicz) Janocha, he was born December 27, 1931, in Lowell and was raised and educated in the Centralville section of the city, graduating from Lowell High School where he was a standout athlete and star baseball player.
After High School, he played baseball professionally for the Oakland Athletics organization as a catcher from 1955 until 1957. He then served his country with the United States Army. While in the Army, his commanding officer, a general, learned of his baseball ability and assigned John to play baseball for the Army during the rest of his military service. After his honorable discharge, he attained a Business Degree from Suffolk University. While commuting from Lowell to Boston on the train during his college days, he met the love of his life and future wife, Shirley.
John retired from Lucent Technologies in the late 1990’s, enjoying a career that spanned over 20 years. He was a member of the Polish American Veterans and was a communicant of the Holy Trinity Polish Church, serving as a eucharistic minister. He was also a member of the Holy Trinity Senior Center. In addition to his lifelong love of baseball he had a wonderful sense of humor. He enjoyed going out to dinner with his wife and time spent at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. He also spent many summers at his family cottage on Great East Lake in Wakefield, NH.
In addition to this beloved wife, Shirley, he is survived by his children, John A. Janocha of Tewksbury, and David and Kerri Janocha of North Berwick, ME; his 5 grandchildren, Emma, Ingrid, Otto, Stephanie, and Karoline and his great grandchildren, Sophia, Knox, Axel, and Huxen.
He was also predeceased by his daugher, the late Marybeth Janocha Hill and his sisters, the late Helen Kochaneck and the late Josephine Szafran.
On Wednesday, January 25, all are welcome to attend his funeral mass at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Polish Church, 340 High Street, Lowell, please meet directly at the church. Procession will follow for burial at Holy Trinity Cemetery, 155 Boston Road, Lowell. Flowers are welcome and please consider a donation in John’s name to Holy Trinity Polish Church. Arrangements by Tewksbury Funeral Home, 1 Dewey Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876 - 978-851-2061. Please find us on Facebook or use this site to leave the family a message of condolence at any time.