Jane Marie Marelich

1944 - 2024

Jane Marie Marelich
02/03/1944 - 05/07/2024
Our beloved mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, dear friend, warrior queen and family matriarch Jane "Janey" Reynolds Marelich gloriously and peacefully completed her journey with supreme grace on May 7, 2024, surrounded and supported by a large group of her loving family and friends.
Janey was predeceased by her mother, Jean Reynolds; her father, Eugene (Gene) Reynolds; her husband, Marko Marelich; and her brother, Stan Reynolds.
She is survived by Tony Marelich (son); Jacki Marelich Kardum (daughter); Gary Kardum (son-in-law); Nani Friedman (daughter-in-law); Solmi Friedman (granddaughter-in-law); Brooke Kardum Bustamante (granddaughter); Mario Bustamante (grandson-in-law); Carol Reynolds (sister); Sondra Budwig (sister); Nichole Budwig (niece); Adam Stone (nephew-in-law); Ada Stone (grandniece); Chloe Reynolds (niece); Ciprian Manolescu (nephew-in-law); Noah Reynolds (nephew); Dean Reynolds (grandnephew); Jacob Reynolds (grandnephew); Silas Reynolds (grandnephew); and Jeff Nicastro (nephew).
In lieu of a funeral, a private service was held by the immediate family, and a private ceremony to spread her ashes in a place of her choosing has been arranged.
Born in Orlando, Fla., to a military and government service family, Janey later moved to Greensboro, N.C., where she attended Our Lady of Grace Church & School. This is where her singing and musical talents were discovered and nurtured. Janey attended Curry High School in Greensboro, and later Capuchino High School in San Bruno, Calif., where she gained recognition for her performance in a production of the musical Brigadoon.
The family then moved to California, where she met her husband of 52 years and started her own beautiful family and career. In the early stages of that career, she provided in-home childcare services. Later, she worked in advertising sales for The Advertiser and San Francisco Chronicle, and H&R Block as a tax preparer.
Janey became our family matriarch, earning that honor through a complete life spent fiercely loyal to her husband, children, extended family, and friends. She maintained deep and lifelong friendships. She was a loving sister to three siblings, and lived an adventurous childhood, entering into a vast array of shenanigans with them all. The story she shared in her final moments about a certain red bandana and collection of persimmons will remain private and resonate down through our family generations.
Her creativity yielded many beautiful handcrafts that her friends and family will hold dearly for years to come. She was a master seamstress, descending from four generations of seamstresses. She created elaborate Origami pieces, crocheted hats and afghans, sewed clothing and made alterations, was dedicated to knitting and needlepoint and loved doll making and pattern making, some of which sold in boutiques around San Francisco.
She was a gifted musician who loved playing her piano, organ, accordion, harpsichord, and guitar. She was a guitarist and beloved member of the chorus with the Saint Paul's choir. She was a collector of recipes and an excellent cook and baker. She had an innate mechanical aptitude and was known to take apart and repair a complex sewing machine just as easily as she could rebuild and refinish a piano.
She had a wicked sense of humor with impeccable comedic timing. She was fluent in sarcasm, and could convey both deep understanding and direct instructions with a simple look. She lived her life with grace, restraint, and strength, and had a deep sense of integrity and honesty. She was immensely compassionate and curious, and was an avid lifelong learner. She had the most beautiful penmanship and was a master of grammar and the English language.
She will be so badly missed by all that knew her. Her soul is now free of the body, and circulates among us and through us. If you knew her and didn't get a chance to say goodbye, know this: we held her as she left this world, and it was on the wings of all of our love that she made her final and most wonderful flight. In the end, Mom got all the cookies! When we hear Brandy Clarke, we will happily abide by her words:
"Remember me beautiful. Remember me young. Remember me smiling; my face towards the sun."