Joseph James Janisch

Joseph (Joe) James Janisch, 90, a longtime resident of Mount Prospect. Illinois, passed away in Cary, North Carolina, on November 19, 2023. Joe was born on January 29, 1933, in Chicago Illinois, to Ludwig and Pauline Janisch. He was the youngest of three children. Immigrants from Austria, his parents had a meat market for many years in the West Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. He attended St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago and helped out at the meat market after school and on weekends. Foregoing the family business, Joe went on to study architecture at the University of Illinois (Navy Pier) and proudly served in the United States Army. After being introduced by mutual friends while vacationing in Saugatuck, Michigan, Joe married the love of his life, the former Mary Therese Keane, on September 10, 1960. They had four children and were happily married for 63 years, making their home in Mount Prospect for almost all of that time. A loyal husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Joe always put family first. He and Mary enjoyed frequent visits to see their four children – Diane, Joe Jr., Daniel and Mary – and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Wisconsin, North Carolina, California and Washington state. “Papa Joe” particularly enjoyed cheering on his grandkids in their sporting events. In addition to visiting their family, he also traveled with Mary to many fantastic places, including Florida, Hawaii, France, and his parents’ native Austria, as well as Mary’s beloved Ireland. As a native South Sider, Joe was a passionate and longtime Chicago White Sox fan, passing on his love of Nellie Fox and the 1959 “Go Go” White Sox, and Chicago sports in general, to his children and grandchildren. He was actively involved at St. Raymond de Peñafort Catholic Church in Mount Prospect, serving in various roles, including usher, in his more than 50 years as a faithful parishioner. Joe was a dedicated employee of the F.W. Woolworth Company, where he worked for over 30 years, starting as a draftsman and working his way up to director of construction before retiring in 1993. At home, Joe was known to be able to “fix anything but a broken balloon”; he meticulously maintained his houses and designed and built enclosed porches on two of them. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Ludwig and Pauline Janisch, his brother, Bill (Joan), and his sister, Eleanore (Ed). He is survived by his wife, Mary Therese; his children Diane (Steve), Joe (Samra), Daniel and Mary (Bill); grandchildren Joe (Katie), Tom (Danielle), Theresa (Matthew), Dan (Irene), David, Greg, Tylen, Tess, William and Keean; great-grandchildren Philomena, Gemma and Maeve; and numerous longtime cherished friends. Services are at 11 a.m. EST on Fri, Dec 1, 2023, at St. Michael Catholic Church in Cary, NC. Livestream is available here: https://www.stmichaelcary.org/live-mass Post-service viewing: https://boxcast.tv/channel/cngtc2lhyliq8r89zhq7

Joseph James Janisch

January 29, 1933 - November 19, 2023