Janice Rosenberg

1936 - 2025

Janice Rosenberg died peacefully, in her home, Thursday, March 13, 2025, at the age of 89. She was surrounded by her family and her closest friends. Janice was born February 29, 1936, in McKeesport, to Evelyn and Albert Greenberg. In high school at Winchester Thurston, Janice discovered a passion for music, quickly mastering the piano and the cello. She graduated from Carnegie Tech in 1958 as a music major and would continue to take classes there for the rest of her life. After college, she learned braille and taught third grade at a school for the blind. She taught piano for years, including many lessons for her grandchildren. Shortly after college, she was fixed up with her soulmate, Milton Rosenberg. They married in 1959, moved to Washington, and lovingly raised three children, Staci, Alison and Colin. Janice lived to travel. In 1968, she began her remarkable 57 year career as a travel agent. She visited every continent and countless countries (including her favorite destination, South Africa, more than 10 times). She cherished showing the world to friends, family, and clients alike, leading hundreds of trips, many focused on fine food. She took apartments in the south of France, met Julia Child, and enrolled in a variety of cooking classes. She experienced a wide array of adventures and misadventures, from flying to Spain for a meal at El Bulli, the world's number one restaurant, to a monkey eating her medicine in Botswana, necessitating an emergency bush plane delivery. In 2024, at age 88, Janice was honored as one of the five most productive travel agents at her agency of hundreds. While she was an astonishingly itinerant traveler, she was also the center of a loving community of friends and family in the greater Pittsburgh area, where she lived her entire life. It was nearly impossible to walk into a restaurant in Pittsburgh without running into a familiar face. She hosted regular dinner parties for dozens of guests in her Mount Washington apartment, where friends and family would rub shoulders with chefs and opera singers. She served on the board of the Pittsburgh Opera, co-founded an investment club that helped build a financial foundation for many women, and cultivated a lifetime love of learning, regularly attending lectures, concerts, and classes in Pittsburgh. Through the loss of her beloved husband, two battles with cancer, and an assortment of grueling ailments, Janice never lost her indomitable spirit, leading some to call her an 'Energizer Bunny.' She never stopped showing up for her family - she was present and radiating joy at every recital, graduation, and wedding. She was deeply interested in everyone she met, always asking a flurry of questions, and remarkably, remembering the answers even decades later. Her flair for the finer things in life was matched only by her joy and pride in her family, and her desire to share these things with them. Janice lived a fabulous life. She left an indelible mark of love and generosity on those around her. The way she lived is a reminder to get on that plane, splurge on that memorable meal, go to that concert, and most importantly, to do these things with the people that you love. She will be dearly missed by her family and multitude of friends. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 28 years, Milton Rosenberg; and her brother, Ira Greenberg. Janice is survived by her daughters, Staci and Alison (Charles); her son, Colin (Jackie); her six grandchildren, Evie (Danny), Jonah, Jolie, Sophie, Olivia, and Reed; and many more loving extended family members. The family will be receiving visitors for a Shiva from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 16. A celebration of life is being planned and will be held in the next few months. Private interment at Beth Israel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Piatt and Barnhill Funeral Directors, Inc., Charles R. Piatt, supervisor/owner, Andrew C. Piatt, director.