Our beloved Janette Silva, was born in Los Angeles, Calif. to Louis Silva and Frances Garcia (Silva) on January 2, 1947. She had an older brother Charles and a twin sister, Janice. From tap dancing to dating, the sisters were very close. A memory, of the twins, is the way their mother dressed them alike. When they were young, it was hard to tell the difference between them. They were both serious students, and worked hard in school. After high school, the twins lives took them into different directions. Her sister, Janice married Steve Solorio and had four children (Bernadette, Monica, Steve Jr and Sarah). Janette, worked at Arco Towers, Atlantic Richfield Company, as an Executive Secretary. She lived in Downey, California. She loved her neighbors in her apt. complex, especially Ms. Folgers. Janette was always taking classes, like sign language, speech, etc. to broaden her knowledge and meet new people. She loved the arts, she enjoyed plays, traveling abroad, reading and she often invited her nieces (Yvonne, Laura, and Janice’s children) to attend functions or going to work with her.
In 1983, Janette felt called to join The Sisters of the Holy Cross. This calling moved her to the state of Indiana. It was a life change, it is where she learned many things about her self and made many friends, which she has stayed close to until she left us. She also realized that being a Sister was not her calling. The Lord led her to obtain her Masters degree and she became a full-time Chaplain at various medical institutions like the Manor Care facilities, eventually ending up at the Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Springs, Maryland. She loved to travel with friends, visiting Israel and Europe at various times. Her sister and herself reconnected through the years when their mother Frances fought renal failure. And Janette, encouraged and sparked spunk into her mother to keep her spirits high.
Since 2006, Janette was part of a small Catholic prayer community at St John the Evangelist Interfaith Center. A friend, Pat Lo, shared a memory of Janette and her love for the Trinity, and how she enjoyed the seasons of Advent and Lent (She spoke about the members very frequently and her time with them she cherished).
At the beginning of 2018, Janette, was diagnosed with cancer. She was very private and needed time to process. Her friend, Ann, shared a memory that when first diagnosed, Janette shared her condition with very few people. Fr. Casmir, her supervisor and friend, was the only one she shared about her condition at her workplace. She never missed a day of work the whole time she was on chemo, despite some serious side effects from the medications. She was very optimistic about fully recovering from cancer. One of her favorite Oncologist she kindly referred to as “Dr. K”, he often prayed with her. During the last year, she opened up and allowed friends and family members to visit and comfort her. Some of her dearest friends were; Margaret, Ann, Pat and her visiting angel, Rebecca. Her twin sister, Janice, along with her daughters Bernadette, Monica and Sarah (and their spouses) assisted in her healing process. During her last months she finally got to enjoy her beautiful home which years before she had remodeled and never had time to enjoy. She was given a gift of a flat screen T.V. by her nieces and she became a “Hallmark” Addict.
A week before passing, Janette received many phone calls from her neighbors, cousins, nieces, & a nephew. Her sister, Janice, spent the last four days with her, holding her hands and sharing memories. She went to be with the Lord on October 1, 2020.
Matthew 25: 21 NIV His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Services for Janette Silva:
The Mass of the Resurrection:
St John the Evangelist Catholic Church
The Wilde Lake Interfaith Center
10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia MD 21044
October 17, at 10:00 am EST
For our beloved family and friends that are out of town, you may stream:
http://www.sundaystreams.com/go/StJohnColumbia
The Funeral:
The Gate of Heaven Cemetery
13801 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906
October 17, at 12:30pm EST
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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