Janet Marie Fahrendorf

Janet Marie Fahrendorf (Weis) November 11, 1941 – January 20, 2018

Janet Marie Fahrendorf ascended from this world surrounded by her soul mate and husband, Joseph Fahrendorf, and her three daughters, their families and her dog Lucy on the afternoon of January 20.

Born to Frank Theodore and Margaret Mary Theresa Weis (Kelly) in Cincinnati, Ohio, she was the baby sister to Charlene Rolfs and Jerry Weis.  The day she was born, her father woke up her big sister, Char, and said, “Char, you have a baby sister.” The two were the best of friends.

Janet was raised in Sharonville, Ohio, where she met her husband, Joe, when she was 20. Fate brought them together. Joe was on leave from the ship he was sailing on and happened to go home to visit his family. One of Janet’s best friends was Joe’s sister, Caroline. It was at Caroline’s birthday party where Joe and Jan first met, and over a game of cards that Joe fell for her. In Jan’s words “I was cheating like heck.” Joe was so smitten that he quit his job in New York, continued to pay rent on an apartment he was under a lease obligation for, and moved back to Cincinnati. Janet and Joe were married when she was 22. 

Joe’s career brought them from Ohio, where their son, Steve, was born, to St. Louis, where their daughter Amy was born, to Los Angeles, where their daughter Jennifer was born, and to Oregon, where their daughter Rebecca was born. Janet sure had her hands full with having four children under the age of six. Finally they moved to San Juan Capistrano, California, where Janet was able to practice her love of gardening and growing the most beautiful flowers year round in the near perfect climate.  

They ended up moving to Sonoma in 2011 to be closer to their daughters, who all live in the San Francisco Bay area.

Janet was devoted to her family. She was the best mom and loved her children, Steve, Amy, Jenny, and Becca, and four grandchildren, Calvin, Isabelle, Julian and Skylar, unconditionally.  She was so proud of her family. Her family loved her more than anything and was so proud of her as well. She was always there for them with the right thing to say, always knowing how to perfectly comfort her loved ones.  She taught her children that this too shall pass, that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and that life is too short to worry about the small things.  

Her favorite song was “Wind Beneath My Wings,” which couldn’t be more appropriate because she was her family’s rock and provided the support and love they needed so they could shine and be their best selves.

Janet and Joe shared 54 years of marriage. They were soul mates. Janet was the nicest person you would ever meet, and despite her illness, never lost her best qualities of sweetness, kindness, humor and being a loving mother and wife.

Her nickname was “Bubbles” because she had a bubbly personality and loved champagne. She asked for a glass of wine every night right to the end, even when she no longer wanted to eat food.  She loved basketball: first the Blazers, before finally falling in love with the best team ever, the Warriors, and watched every single game until the day she died. The day she passed, her family watched the Warriors game and drank champagne together in her honor. Janet loved her many dogs that she had over the years, working in her garden, watching the birds that she and Joe set up feeders for (especially the hummingbirds and quail), her beach house and the lighthouse at the end of her beach.  She loved watching her kids and grandkids thrive and be successful, and loved seeing them smile. She was so pretty and had the most beautiful smile. She was an inspiration and managed to keep showing that beautiful smile, despite how sick she was. She continued to compliment people on what they were wearing; some of her last words to her daughter Becca were, “Hi, pretty shirt,” and she never lost her sense of humor, cracking jokes right to the end and making her family laugh. She always just wanted her family to have a good time and be happy.

Her family would like everyone to remember to keep smiling, no matter what life brings your way, be grateful and live each day to the fullest in honor of their beloved mother, wife, and grandmother Janet. They love her to infinity and back.

In lieu of flowers, a gift of remembrance may be made to Hospice by the Bay http://hospicebythebay.org/donors/donate-now/ or the Susan G. Komen Society https://ww5.komen.org/Donate/Donate.html.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, February 18, in Sonoma

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Janet Marie Fahrendorf, please visit our floral store.