Janice Eileen (Tencate) Delismon
April 2, 1939 - March 10, 2020
Obituary
With heavy hearts we announce the passing of a great lady, Janice (Jan) Eileen Delismon.
She was born in April 1939 in Maywood, Illinois to Clarence & Helene (Albertsen) Tencate, and grew-up in Broadview, Illinois as an only child.
Jan attended Lindop K-8 grade school and graduated from Proviso HS. She attended U of Illinois from 1957 – 1959 where she met Ron on a blind date, the Inter-Fraternity Ball. It was love at first sight. We had little money, but lots of tea-dates. A pot of tea only cost a dime, and the sugar was free.
Ron & Jan were married at St. Eulalia Catholic Church in Maywood, Illinois on June 20, 1959. They flew to California that evening, living there for a year before moving to Seattle for Ron’s new job at Boeing.
Jan and Ron had four children; Martin, Lisa (Rodgers), Pam (Mills), and Judy. They also have two son-in-laws Paul Rodgers (deceased) and Phillip Mills, one granddaughter Chelsea Gorham, two grandsons Austin and Erik Mills, and two great grandsons Jackson and Jayden Raymer. Jan also had many cousins living in Illinois and Wisconsin.
All Jan’s children attended St. Philomena Catholic School in Des Moines, WA. As a result she attended many PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences, Girl Scout outings, soccer games and fund raisers. She was also active at St. Philomena Church; attending mass was a priority. Jan was a Cursillista, played the guitar and sang at mass in several folk groups there, and later in the main choir. She also played the guitar with friends in the Seattle Mandolin Society. For Jan these were acts of pure joy.
Education was always important to Jan. She wanted every child to have the chance to go to college. To support that idea, Jan attended Highline College for two years and got her Associates Degree in Respiratory Therapy. She then went on to work at Swedish Hospital for 17 years until retirement in 1995. Jan singlehandedly paid all of her children’s tuition and support while they attended school. She was Supermom!
Jan’s curiosity was boundless. She was an avid reader, completing 3 – 4 books a month. Jan loved the sound of the cello, so she took lessons. She researched her Norwegian roots, wrote a family newsletter, even took classes to read and speak Norwegian.
Jan loved to travel and explore. She took a white water river raft trip down 270 miles of the Colorado River with Ron, son Marty and friend forever Donna Ball and husband Bob to explore the Grand Canyon. She loved car travel too, taking a six-week trip around the whole United States with Ron and the girls. Jan’s and Ron’s other travels included many trips to Mazatlan with Dick & Darlene Malmo and other friends (lots of eating, drinking and laughing); a bus tour of Europe with Pam and Judy (it’s Wednesday, we must be in Lichtenstein), Venice more than once. The last time in Italy was an art appreciation tour with grand-daughter Chelsea, hosted by Vikki Artimovich of Bellevue College. In 1998 Jan and Ron visited Jan’s cousins in Oslo and, then went on to Stockholm at the invitation of Ron’s boyhood friend Ferid Murad. Ferid won the Nobel prize in Medicine that year and invited us to join the celebrations. It was unforgettable! Back home, Jan organized a YesBel party to share the experience. Jan’s last big trip with other octogenarians was in November 2019 for the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque. It was organized by our best friend Barbara De Anda. When we went out to dinner, the restaurant staff thought they were being invaded by retirement home escapees. Another not-to-be-forgotten memory.
Jan enjoyed plays, musicals and football, having season tickets at ACT, Village Theatre, and the Seahawks. Jan kept abreast of current events, always voted, even worked on the 1980 census going door-to-door counting people.
Jan said she had a Black Thumb – only a cactus could survive her care. But she loved peonies. Son Marty planted several of them at our previous house. They bloomed for a few years, but then nothing. Marty replanted more of them just last year. They’re still alive, but no blooms yet. Jan’s ghost may be hovering.
Jan was not a complainer. She beat two unwelcome occurrences of cancer, and had other issues that tried to drag her down. But not Jan. She was a fighter, small (5’ 2”) but mighty. She never dwelled on her many health problems. The rest of us never saw them as clearly as she did. In the end her chronic lung disease caught up with her. She died peacefully on March 10, 2020 surrounded by family at Swedish Hospital, the place she first worked. Jan and Ron were married nearly 61 years. Jan was the love of his life.
A Celebration Of Life will be held at St. Philomena Catholic Church at a time yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation in Jan’s memory to The American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, NPR (National Public Radio), or charity of your choice.
Dick & Joyce McCorkle
Ron, so sorry for (and our) loss. Wonderful obituary! My (and Joyce’s) association with you has occupied only the last stages of that saga, and it is wonderful to get to know her in a way we had not before. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Please let us know when her memorial service is scheduled; we will be there if at all possible.
I’m deeply saddened to hear of Jan’s passing.
I was her hairdresser of 25 years, Jan was such a caring, and adventurous person, she was always keeping me up on different restaurants they had been to, plays they were seeing, and trips! What wasn’t mentioned was Jan had a quest to visit every National Park.
My condolences to the family who’ve some I’ve met and others I’ve heard so much about.
adele doran
Ron my prayers are with you and the family I pray God will always hold you and your family tenderly but securely in the palm of His hand and especially during this time thank you both for the joy you have brought so many
Im so sorry. I remember dear Jan and all the family. My best memories. Rest in peace
Carlos Corral ( From Mexico City )
Dear Carlos, I’m so glad to hear from you, even though the occasion is a sad one. Jan and I always remember you , Jesus and Gloria and the time you visited us. Please email me and let me know all about you and your families at delismon@comcast.net Best Regards, Ron Delismon
Jan and Ron have been best friends with my parents Dick and Darlene Malmo for 60+ years. I have many wonderful memories of times spent with Jan and Ron, filled with love and laughter. Jan’s keen humor and her devotion to family stand out to me. She will be greatly missed but lives in our hearts.