Obituary of Donald Jay Janda

Donald Jay Janda of Conneaut, Ohio 11/28/40 to 10/30/20 Don passed away peacefully and suddenly at his home on Friday, October 30, 2020 after a wonderful, fun day which concluded with watching a Hallmark movie with his wife, Cindy. He will be remembered as a kind and generous person who adored his wife, children Jeff (Jill) Janda, Ryan (Heidi) Janda, Kristen (Abe) Janda and grandchildren Jewel, Noah, and Jenson Janda. Although he will be sorely missed, his family rejoices knowing that he will be reunited with his parents, Margaret and John Janda and his sister, Shirlee Walrath. His closest friend Pete will surely greet him with a warm smile and a drink. His long and fulfilling life came to an end, as he would have wished it, comfortably and surrounded with love. The hole in our hearts will be impossible to fill and his guidance and understanding will be missed by those who relied so heavily upon him. Growing up Don played baseball and was active in his scout troop. He earned his cooking badge by cooking a raw pork chop over an open flame. After graduating from Conneaut High School in 1958, Don attended Youngstown State University. His first job was at the W. T. Grant Company where his many duties included caring for the birds and the monkey. He was overjoyed the day the monkey was sold and this provided one of his funniest stories. After that he started working as a chemist for Exomet Company. In 1963 he joined the US Army. During his time in the Army as a chemist, Don had many valuable experiences at both Edgewood Arsenal and Dugway Proving Grounds and a brief stay at the Naval hospital in San Diego. These experiences shaped Don for many years to come and provided many more stories. After his honorable discharge two years later, he went back to Conneaut to renew his license plates and returned to his job at Exomet where he met his wife, Cindy. He joked about meeting her at the pencil sharpener and his plans to return to the west coast quickly changed. He would talk to his mother about "this girl" and his mother warned him, "She's going to get you." We are not sure who got who, but it worked out. Don moved on to SCM Chemicals and loved his work as a draftsman and later project management when the plant was purchased by Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, Plant 2. He enjoyed the challenge of a complicated project and finding ways to address those challenges. He retired in 2005. Through the years Don was President of the Jaycees and belonged to the Conneaut Elks Club, Masonic Temple, Scottish Rite and the Shrine Club among other organizations. Don lived his life enjoying every minute of every day. He was always willing to engage people in conversation and make others feel comfortable. He and Cindy loved and laughed their way through 53 years of marriage. He cherished every day they shared and their union served as a guidepost for their children and many other couples. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, if desired, contributions may be given to the Conneaut Food Pantry located at 327 Mill Street, Conneaut, OH 44030 (if send by check). The website is conneauthrc.org (donate button top right corner). The Food Pantry is run by the Conneaut Human Resource Center. Dad was proud of helping the church with delivering food collections – everyone deserves to eat. Thank you. Due to Covid 19 a private celebration of life will be held at Glenwood Cemetery with social distancing. We love you husband and dad for everything you did for us. You will be forever missed. Thompson-Smith-Nesbitt Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Conneaut is honored to serve the family. Online obituary and condolences at www.thompsonsmithnesbitt.com