Janet Gonzales Gasper

Janet Gonzales Gasper (April 6, 1934) passed away on November 3, 2025.  She was a spirit to be reckoned with: a maverick for her time, a staunch feminist, strong political activist in numerous causes that aimed to better the lives of people in need, skilled seamstress, restorer of antique furniture, avid gardener, lover of the arts including a ballerina in her own right with the American Ballet Theatre, devoted teacher and educator.  The role she held in highest esteem along with her husband was being the parent of eight children, the grandmother of twelve children and a great grandmother. 
 
Janet was born Mary Janet Gonzales in Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 6, 1934, to Edna Cox Gonzales, a Hoboken grammar schoolteacher, and Walter Gonzales, a physician.  She was the eldest of two children, predeceased by her brother, George. Janet attended the Academy of St. Aloysius in Jersey City, graduating from grammar school in 1947 and high school in 1951. While a student at Ohio State University Janet met her soon-to- be husband, Raymond Gasper, a handsome Theatre Arts doctoral candidate.  They married in Hoboken, at Our Lady of Grace Church on September 26, 1955, settling in Flushing, NY, where they raised their eight children.  Janet and Ray were married for 57 years when Ray died in 2012.  Subsequently Janet moved to Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
 
Janet earned a BA in Education in 1974, and an MS in Education in 1977, from Queens College.  She was a passionate special education teacher working in various schools, including the Harriet Eisman Community School in Long Beach, an alternative High School, where she helped numerous students achieve their high school diplomas.  Working in Long Beach allowed Janet to return to the community where she spent summers as a child and share her love of the beach and ocean with her children.  Janet went on to become a special education teacher in New York City schools and continued to make significant and lasting connections with her students.  She taught at the high school at Rikers Island and later worked as a roving Educational Evaluator in Queens.  Janet retired in 1999.

Janet Gonzales Gasper is survived by her eight children (Mark, Kateri, Trina, Frank (Sabina), Michael, Judy (Michael McCoy), Jerry, Peggy, twelve grandchildren (Siobhan, Deirdre, Serena, Jack, Rose, Jane, Luke, Emily, Amelia, Nolan, Lindsey, Liliana) and one great-grandchild (Aiden). 

Friends and neighbors would comment Janet had a way that let them know there was always room and a place for them at the Gasper house.  

Janet’s life will be celebrated by her family and friends on Saturday, November 29 from 2:00-5:00 PM at Monahan and Fitzgerald’s Restaurant, 214-17 41st Avenue, Bayside, NY 11361.  It was her request to be remembered among her loved ones in a spirit of camaraderie and joy.