Janis Vahanian
February 1, 1955 - March 30, 2026
Janis Vahanian passed away on Monday, March 30, 2026 at Valley Hospital in Paramus, New Jersey.
Janis was born on February 1st, 1955, in Paramus, where she lived most of her life, always close to friends and family from her community. She was a graduate of Paramus High School and later became a nurse, practicing locally for over 20 years before various health challenges forced her into early retirement.
For any young woman reading this obituary, you would have loved meeting and knowing Janis. In the early 1970’s, when the women’s movement was just underway, Janis was already greeting life and people on terms that declared her right to live the life she chose with no apology or need for permission. She loved people and all experiences that life could offer. She was beautiful, daring, adventurous and greeted each day without any hesitation regarding what others might think. It is not that she did not care. In fact, she really did. It is just that she inherently felt a certainty that women should do their own thing, however they wanted. And for Janis, acting in kind, was her way of signaling others “It’s okay. Follow me. We have a right to just be who we are.”
If you joined her, she was all yours. If you chose not to, that was okay, but she would not wait for you to change your mind. There was too much living to do. And Janis did a whole lot of it.
Among Janis’s greatest joys were the disco days of the 1970’s and early 1980’s. She loved going out and celebrating with the people she held most dear. And when she wasn’t dancing or traveling, she was always devotedly present, without fail, for her developmentally disabled older sister, Gail. Janis never missed special times with Gail. Her sister was everything to Janis. In fact, when Janis was near death in January of this year, facing a very challenging medical procedure, rather than elect to surrender and say “I can’t take anymore,” it was her determination not to leave her sister that led her to say to the surgeon “I’m tough. Let’s do this.” And so, she did.
Sadly, while the procedure was successful, it only gave Janis another couple of months. Her fighting spirit was present to the end, but her body just couldn’t do it. Still, Janis’s mark on others will long be remembered. She loved her cousins, family and friends and expressed that caring by cooking many a meal over the holidays, with desserts being her specialty. She liked having everyone together. And she really enjoyed lovingly telling people what she thought, good or bad.
Amazingly, Janis’s mother, Sue Vahanian, passed at the age of 103 in 2025. Janis, Gail and Sue were blessed to have so many years together. Her father, Dan Vahanian, passed in 1989 at the age of 74. On that day, he shot his age on the golf course with friends. An amazing accomplishment. He came home, happily shared the news, lay down for a nap and never woke up. The loss was hard for everyone, but the three ladies held together.
Janis is survived by her dear sister, Gail, along with countless cousins and friends. She was an uncommonly strong, passionate, life warrior of a woman who lived her life on her own terms, wishing the same strength for anyone she encountered. She will be missed greatly.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the National Institute for People with Disabilities of New Jersey (NIPD/NJ). Donations can be sent payable to NIPD/NJ - c/o YAI, 220 E. 42nd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017, Attn: Devon Daniel.
https://www.vanderplaat.com/obituaries/Janis-Vahanian?obId=48073038