Janice D. Russell

Janice Dempsey Russell of Stoneham, MA passed away peacefully on Friday, December 15th at Lahey Hospital in Burlington after a six-month long battle with lung cancer. Janice was born on June 2, 1957, and she was a life-long Stoneham “townie,” as she would call it. She attended St. Patrick School growing up, followed by Stoneham Public Schools, Westfield State, and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. Janice was an incredibly loyal and dedicated employee, working as the Vice President of Finance and Administration at the law offices of Nathanson and Goldberg for over 40 years. She loved her job, and she worked up until the very end of her life. 

In all things, Janice was an incredibly vibrant and fun-loving woman. She loved to laugh, and she spread joy wherever she went. Janice was a survivor in every sense of the word. She endured numerous medical maladies including stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, the loss of her twin brother, Joey as well as her baby son, Frank, and a whole host of other horrific events that would have brought most people to their knees. But Janice always stood strong and fought for time with her family, friends, and, of course, her beloved Great Dane, Stanley. Janice loved going to the beach, spending Sundays with the Patriots, watching old shows and court TV, playing Scrabble on her phone, supporting her country, observing the birds on her bird feeder, attending her daughter’s performances, cooking, gardening, going to dinner with her husband, and giving back to the community whenever possible. Janice was always the life of the party, and she saw herself in the way she treated others.

                Janice is survived by the love of her life, John I. Russell, Jr. (“Jack”), beloved daughter Allison, and faithful dog, Stanley. She leaves behind her siblings, Jack Dempsey and Barbara Dempsey-West, as well as her siblings-in-law, Andrea Green, Larry Russell, Pamela Rotundo, and their spouses and children. A friend to all, Janice will also be sorely missed by loved ones near and far, from her childhood pals of Broadway to the “Naz Moms,” the nurses and doctors she encountered on her health journey, her wonderful neighbors, and many more. She crossed over to a whole host of angels of family members, led by her mother, Irene, and her father, Jack, who paved the way for her.

Her funeral mass will be celebrated in St. Patrick Church, 71 Central St., Stoneham on Thursday at 10 a.m. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald-Finnegan Funeral Home, 322 Main St., Stoneham on Wednesday from 4-7 p.m.

Interment, St. Patrick Cemetery Stoneham.  

Janice was a proud citizen of the United States of America, and she greatly appreciated the service and sacrifice of the armed forces. Donations in her name can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.,  P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516