Janice C Whitney

Janice LeClair Whitney, 84, of Clearwater, Florida, peacefully passed away at home on May 21, 2025, with hospice care. Born in Gardner, Massachusetts, on June 2, 1940, Janice was the beloved daughter of Francis (“Frankie”) and Rita LeClair. She was the oldest of three daughters and treasured her relationship with her sisters, Marilyn and Betty.

In 1959, Janice graduated from Gardner High School where she played field hockey and basketball and was also on the cheer squad. Upon graduation, she served for nearly three years as a novice with the Maryknoll Sisters in Maryknoll, New York, where she was given the name Sister Mary Vincent Jude and worked to embody their creed “Making God’s Love Visible”. In 1962, as the result of a catastrophic sledding accident with three other novices, Janice’s calling for mission work was redirected and, following a long and arduous recovery, she left the convent to return home to Gardner.

Within a year, she met her future husband, Ross Whitney, and they were married in September 1963. The young couple was blessed with a son, John Christopher Whitney, on November 29, 1964, and later with a daughter, Kristen Lee Whitney, on July 20, 1970. The family moved to Bartow, Florida, in 1974 for Ross to take an in-residence position as the Director of the Florida Sheriff’s Girls Villa to provide residential care for at-risk youth.

In 1976, their marriage came to an end and Janice then pursued a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education. She graduated from Florida Southern College in December 1979 and immediately began work at Riverside Elementary in Fort Meade. Later, she transferred to Sykes Elementary in Lakeland and completed her 27 years of teaching with Polk County Public Schools at the Union Academy Magnet School where she taught Geography and Language Arts.

While teaching, Janice served as the Director of Religious Education and as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Bartow where she was part of a vibrant extended family, within her parish. Her dear friends, Steve and Jan Mason, Danny and Martha Keith, Ron and Fran Coleman, Dexter and Doreen Traxler, Wayne and Pat Lasseter, Ted and Carolyn Gorman, along with many others provided the love and support she needed to thrive as a single mother to her children. The sacrifice and example she provided to her children is immeasurable and laid a strong foundation in the importance of family within both John and Kristen.

At the age of 58, Janice graduated from Loyola University with a Master’s Degree in Theology and, three years later, she became a Certified Spiritual Director. Her faith was vibrant and accessible, and her greatest joy was bringing others closer to God. She led through her example and knew the importance of authenticity, grace, and forgiveness.

When Kristen was widowed at the age of 36, Janice retired from teaching to help raise her young grandsons (ages 7,7, and 4) while her daughter returned to work to provide for her family. During this time, Janice became a volunteer at the boys’ elementary school and became a member of the Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor where she served as a Church School Teacher and as a Eucharistic Minister. She was also active in participating in the youth activities, with her daughter’s family, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater.

Janice would visit her son’s family in Mineola, Texas, as often as she could, and she always wished she had more time with her granddaughter and grandson there. On many occasions, Janice was blessed to have family reunions with her children, grandchildren, parents, sisters, nephews, nieces, and other family and friends in Massachusetts. Most of those visits would include stays at York Beach, Maine, where her parents began vacationing as newlyweds. Her most favorite place on earth was the spot in front of the Nubble Lighthouse and many, many, wonderful family memories took place there.

In the weeks preceding her passing, Janice was filled with the Holy Spirit and immense joy as she eagerly shared the messages she was receiving from God, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and from many loved ones who had made this journey ahead of her. She could hardly contain her excitement to fully participate in God’s Glory. She spent countless hours with family and friends sharing every nuance of her experience and, in the process, drawing them closer to their own faith.

Janice leaves behind her son and daughter-in-law, John and Shelly Whitney of Mineola, Texas, and her daughter, Kristen Whitney Sellas of Clearwater, Florida; her grandchildren Paige (Forrest) Clark, Blake (Indira) Whitney, Nicholas (Jennifer) Sellas, Christopher Sellas, and David Sellas; her great-grandchildren Hadley Clark, Cooper Clark, and baby Evelyn Whitney on her way this coming fall; her sister Marilyn (Wayne) Fisher; her nephews and niece and their many children and grandchildren. Janice was predeceased by her beloved sister Betty Rahaim, her parents Francis and Rita (Roy) LeClair, her treasured son-in-law Spencer Sellas, and her final furry companion, a loving Westie, named Jimi Floyd.

Services

Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 10:00AM to 11:00AM followed by a Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00AM at Espiritu Santo Catholic Church located at 2405 Philippe Parkway, Safety Harbor, Florida 34695.

Internment will directly follow at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park located at 2860 Sunset Point Road, Clearwater, Florida 33759.

Donations To support the work of the Maryknoll Sisters, please visit www.maryknollsisters.org or mail donations to Maryknoll Sisters, P.O. Box 317, Maryknoll, NY 10545