With profound sorrow and hearts full of gratitude for a life beautifully lived, the family
of Janice Ann Montalto announces her peaceful passing on April 20, 2026, after a
courageous battle with cancer. She was 75 years old – a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a
veteran, and a friend whose warmth and spirit touched everyone fortunate enough to
know her.
Born on August 27, 1950, in Virginia, Janice came into the world with a spirit that would
prove both steadfast and adventurous. From her earliest days, she possessed a quiet
determination that would define her remarkable life.
A true trailblazer, Janice answered her country’s call and enlisted in the United States
Army, where she served with honor for four distinguished years – rising to the proud
rank of Sergeant. She was among the first women ever to serve in Air Defense Artillery
as part of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) – a pioneer in every sense of the word,
breaking barriers and paving the way for the generations of servicewomen who would
follow. Her fellow soldiers recognized her natural command and took to calling her
“Sarge”; a nickname worn with the quiet pride of someone who had truly earned it. It
was during her time in uniform that fate intervened in the most beautiful way: she met
her husband, Jack Montalto Sr., a young soldier from Boston, Massachusetts. Their
bond, forged in service and deepened by a shared sense of duty, would become the
foundation of a family.
After their service, Janice and Jack built their life together in Wilmington,
Massachusetts, where they raised three beloved children: twins Nicholas and Michelle,
and their younger son, Jack Jr. Janice poured herself into motherhood with the same
dedication she had given to her country fiercely loving, endlessly patient, and always
present. Though she raised her family in the New England she had adopted, Janice
never made a secret of how she felt about those long Massachusetts winters.
“I hate the cold;” she would say with a laugh, and eventually she made good on her promise to
herself.
For the last nearly three decades, Janice found her paradise in Florida, where the sun
finally agreed with her soul. The Sunshine State became her true home and she bloomed
there. Mornings on the beach with her dear friend Janis became a cherished ritual, the
two of them combing the shoreline for shells and casting their fishing lines with no
particular hurry. The simple pleasures suited her perfectly: the warmth of the sand, the
sound of the waves, and the easy company of a good friend. She filled her Florida home
with beloved pet kitties and her adored dog, Maggie, who was her faithful companion
and constant shadow. She remained deeply connected to her online community as well,
where she found friendship, laughter, and belonging in an internet world she had
embraced wholeheartedly.
Janice was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jack Montalto Sr.; her father,
Weldon Vowell; and her dear brother, Mike Vowell. Their absence was a weight she
carried with grace and love.
She is survived by her three children: Nicholas Montalto III, Michelle DuFour, and Jack
Montalto Jr. and by the five grandchildren who were her greatest pride and joy:
Nicholas Montalto IV, Katelyn Montalto, twins Tyler and Noah, and Dylan DuFour. In
them, her laughter lives on. In them, her love endures.
Janice Ann Montalto lived on her own terms — she served when her country needed her,
loved fiercely when her family needed her, and finally, when the Massachusetts cold had
tested her patience long enough, she found her place in the sun. She was a woman of
uncommon strength and simple joys. She will be remembered in every shell on a Florida
beach, in every purring cat and wagging tail that welcomed her home, and in every
moment her grandchildren look up at a blue sky and feel the warmth of something they
cannot quite name.
In a final and fitting tribute to her service and sacrifice, Sergeant Janice Ann Montalto
will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, where she will rest alongside her
beloved husband, Jack Montalto Sr. It is a place reserved for those who gave, and she
gave fully.
“She finally found her sunshine – and she kept it.”
