Obituary of Janice R. DeRocker Ligon

Janice R. DeRocker Ligon, 70, of Gloversville, passed away peacefully Sunday, June 13, 2010 after a long battle with heart disease. She was born June 4 , 1940 in Gloversville the daughter of Stephen Regan and the late Angel Cannizzo Regan. She was employed as an administrative assistant for the Community Development Agency. Janice's family and friends remember her as loving, thoughtful and generous -- at times to a fault. She had a gift of hospitality that was as expansive as it was inclusive. Very much a member of the "food is love club" she was an outstanding cook who over the years lavished that gift on hundreds if not thousands of familiar and not-so-familiar visitors to her home. Her co-workers will remember her as dedicated, conscientious and perhaps irreplaceable. She loved to travel; Kenya and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands were among her favorite destinations. She was artistic and creative, and delighted in animals almost as much as she did people, with a particular dedication to a pet cat she called "Berger." Janice will be remembered for a joie de vivre despite a life of considerable adversity: Her loving husband of 22 years, Bob, died in a construction accident almost exactly 30 years ago, leaving her a widow at age 40. In recent years she was plagued with multiple health problems, among which heart disease was only the beginning. Yet right to her final days she carried an irrepressible humor, breaking up visitors and staff at Schenectady's Ellis Hospital with gentle witticisms even as her condition went rapidly downhill. That ability to laugh, and make others laugh, in the face of highly unpleasant circumstances could only come from her deep faith in God. More than anything, Janice wanted to be remembered as someone who was in love with Jesus -- and longed to be eternally united with Him in Heaven. Paraphrasing the 1970's song by the Righteous Brothers, Janice "believed in forever," and knew that because of that, "life is just a one-night stand." That stand now ended, she leaves a multitude of family and friends who will miss her more than even now they can comprehend. But rest assured, they say, Janice is not "resting in peace." She's dancing in glory. In addition to her father, Stephen Regan of Bayville, NY, survivors include two sons: Robert "Rob" DeRocker Melinda of Tarrytown and Jeffrey DeRocker Vicki of Orange County, NY; two daughters: Kelly Davis Rance of Canton, NY and Darcy DeRocker of Gloversville; seven grandchildren: Jessa Davis, Mary Davis, Isaiah Davis, Audrey DeRocker, Caitlin DeRocker, Chloe DeRocker and Noah DeRocker; a half brother, Dennis Regan of Saratoga Springs and two half sisters: Sheila Sealy and Alanna Regan, both of Long Island. Friends and family are invited and may call Friday, June 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Walrath & Stewart Funeral Home, 51 Fremont Street, Gloversville where a funeral service will be held Saturday, June 19 at 11 a.m. with Rabbi Barry Feinman from The Seed of Abraham, a Messianic congregation, presiding. Cremation will take place at Park View Crematorium, Schenectady. Donations may be made in Janice's memory to the Seed of Abraham Congregation http://www.seedofabraham.com/ or the James A. Brennan Memorial Humane Society http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/James_A_Brennan_Memorial_Humane_Society_rId3464_rS_pC.html.