Janet Stickle Passes Away

Janet L. (Marcisak) Stickle, 57, of North Reading and formerly of Brooklyn, New York, died Thursday, Sept. 6, at the Sawtelle Family Hospice House in Reading, after a long illness.

She was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 12, 1961. She has been a resident of North Reading since 1990.

Family members include her loving husband Walter L. Stickle and her two sons Jaden River Stickle and Jackson Ocean Stickle, all of North Reading; Her parents Paula (Mushkin) Marcisak of New York and a part time North Reading resident and the late Nicholas Marcisak; her aunt Myrna Davis of Sag Harbor, NY; cousin and childhood best friend Matt Davis of Sag Harbor, NY. The water references in her son’s names were very intentional as she believed in the idea that soft things can still move mountains and sculpt continents.

Janet grew up in the NYC public school system, attended Queens Community College, and later in life pursued further education at Merrimack College in North Andover.

She worked for various technology companies including Perception Technologies and FTP Software, and when she became a manager, she built friendships with her employees. She also worked as a VJ, projecting video on screen for a local band.

Janet, more than most people was motivated by love. She was extremely outgoing and loved doing things for other people. But threaten her friends or family in any way and she would go full-on mama bear. Janet was generous with her time. She was an area director for the Science Fiction convention Arisia, volunteered in the schools, for the Cub Scouts, conservation causes, and was a state delegate in politics.

Janet identified as a “Dead Head”. She loved the music of the Grateful Dead, and the culture they created. She followed them around on tour several times in the US and once through Europe.

Janet loved crafts and woodworking and built furniture and art for her home. The greatest joy in her life was becoming a mom, and her children, Jaden and Jackson, were the reason she fought so tenaciously to hang on to life. Even her doctors said she was going above and beyond.

Memorial Donations made in her memory would be welcomed to Wikimedia, or Doctors without Borders, or Big Brother/Big Sister, or Heifer International.