Janet Wegman Kraus Chism

Janet was many things in her long and rich life: writer, lifelong student, a preschool teacher, church volunteer, administrative assistant, human resources professional, just to name a few. But mostly she is remembered by her family as the best mother that ever walked the earth. To each of her children, Janet was the one person who loved us warts and all. Actually, she didn’t mind the warts. She loved the warts and thought they made us interesting. In fact, her kids’ warts were better than all the other kids’ warts , and woe to anyone who disagreed. From her unwavering love of family came a natural widening of Janet’s family circle to include friends, spouses, ex spouses, friends’ ex-spouses, seekers, seers, and artists of all sorts who benefitted from her wisdom, humor, and love. In fact, as Janet lost many of her abilities to dementia in her later years, she never stopped saying “I love you.” And she meant it.

Janet was born Janet Wegman on June 10, 1934 in New York City. An active and imaginative child, she was raised by a single mom after her father died in an accident. Janet wrote many short stories about her childhood adventures exploring the city during those vibrant years when NYC was the center of the world, riding the subway to school, visiting the local bar for dinners of pistachio nuts and boiled eggs with her beloved Uncle Billy, and witnessing beauty and compassion in unexpected places. She attended P.S. 8 and the Walton School For Girls, where she is credited with the legendary school song, sung to the tune of “Ta Rah Rah Boom dee yay:”   “We are the Walton Girls, We Wear our hair in curls, we wear our dungarees rolled up a-bove our knees. And when we want a man, we do the best we can. We are the Walton Girls, from Walton High. High! High! High!”

After high school, Janet pursued a Bachelors Degree in English from Adelphi University, and she graduated while raising 5 kids, three in diapers. Old school diapers, that froze on the clothesline during Long Island winters. Music was always playing in the Kraus Haus, from Harry Belafonte to Beethoven Symphonies with Janet dancing and playing with the children and instilling in them their own lifelong love of music.

 Janet married twice. Her first husband was Richard Kraus, whom she married in 1955 and with whom she raised five children and moved out west.  After that marriage ended in divorce, Janet went to work at Beckman Instruments, where she met Hoke Chism, who brought much joy into her life and stepchildren to embrace:  Deb Jones and Barbara Rolen, along with their children who all became part of Janet’s magic circle of unconditional  love and acceptance. Janet and Hoke married in 1987 and were inseparable until his death in 2001.

Janet was a lifelong learner and active professionally, bridging the shorthand and typewriter age with the computer age. She earned a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and ended her working years as Vice President of Human Resources for BUM Sportswear. After exiting the workplace, Janet relished being a full time grandma and volunteer, contributing to many ministries through Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Fullerton. She was always available for a deep talk, unsolvable dilemma, petty complaint, or just to be a companion to her family and many friends. She attended hundreds of concerts to support her kids in their music careers, including a stint as almost certainly the oldest regular at Linda’s Doll Hut.

Janet Kraus Chism is survived by her children Mary Louise Uys (Peter), Steven Kraus, David Kraus (Beth), Aimee Aul (Robert), and John Kraus (Julie), stepdaughter Barb Rolen and 16 grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband Hoke Chism and stepdaughter Deb Jones. Janet is also missed by the Baldonado / Quito family, her large and loving “second family” who cared for her in her later years and brought dignity to her experience with dementia. Many thanks and loving thoughts go out to the staff of Fullerton Gardens, who cared for her in the last year of her life.

In memory of “our little mother” please take the advice of one of her grandchildren, who recently posted: “Hug your mom if you can, sing in the car, have a glass of champagne, and be happy.”

We love you, Mom. Thank you for happening to us.