Janis died far too soon and will forever be missed by her family and friends. A proud Ukrainian Canadian with a memorable laugh, she was a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, daughter and friend.
She was born in New Westminster and grew up in Burnaby in a house her father built. She played accordion and baseball and she loved spending time with her brother, her friends, her large extended family and her dog Tinker. Over the course of her life she shared many happy stories about her early years.
After graduating from Burnaby Central in 1964 Janis worked at Eaton’s, the Compensation Board and B.C. Tel. When her children were older, she returned to work at Active Sales and enjoyed her years there immensely. Janis and Dave were married on October 1, 1966, and celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary just two days before her death. Together they moved to Coquitlam, raised two children, started and ran a family business and travelled extensively. In more recent years they welcomed four beautiful grandchildren.
Dave and Janis always said that they knew they would never win the lottery because they had won the jackpot many times over with their wonderful family. We all felt the same way about her. Janis was predeceased by her parents, Stan and Patricia Osadczuk. She is survived by her husband, Dave Mercer, daughter, Adrienne Breen (Michael), son, Jason Mercer (Carol), brother, Stan Osadczuk (Margaret) and grandchildren Holden and Isla Mercer and Lucas and Emily Breen. She is also mourned by her niece and nephews, her brother-in-law, sisters-in-law and extended family.
As per Janis’s wishes there will be no funeral service. In lieu of flowers the family welcomes support for Ukrainian refugees or for the Union Gospel Mission’s meals, shelter, clothing and street level outreach programs