Obituary for Janice Melanie Whitten (Sylvester)
JANICE MELANIE SYLVESTER WHITTEN - BANGOR
Janice Melanie (Sylvester) Whitten, 76, died March 24, 2023, following a brief illness. She was born September 6, 1946, in Saco, Maine, the only daughter of Isabel (Derr) Sylvester and John Mellon Sylvester.
Janice grew up in Saco, Maine where she enjoyed playing with friends and her brother in the neighborhood, woods, and the beach. She loved family visits from her extended family in Pennsylvania. Janice rode horses and was fearless, even when thrown or stepped on by a spooked horse. Our mother was intelligent and dreamed of more than was allowed or encouraged for girls and women of her time. She graduated from Thornton Academy in the early 60s, and was told she could not go to medical school like she wanted. So, rather than settling for the paths laid out for her by the guidance counselor, Janice went to school and became an X-Ray technician and worked in that profession at Boston Children's Hospital, Maine Medical Center, and then, later, in a private doctor’s office while she raised her family. She became a volunteer EMT for the Town of Freeport when women were not commonly in that field. She was a CPR instructor as well. Later, she worked as a school secretary. Janice was creative, tailoring plaids perfectly, painting, gardening, cooking, and she made amazing pies. In her older years, when she moved to Bangor, she volunteered at the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen and enjoyed occasional afternoons at the casino with special friends, Lisa and Bob, as well as her nearly daily conversations with her neighbor, Jeannette. Janice was an avid Red Sox fan looking for spring training games even in her last few days here on earth. Mom always had a cat, some more favored than others, but her last cat, Zeke, will live out his days with the Livingstones.
Janice is survived by her children, Kim (Dan) Livingstone, Mark (Leigh-Ann) Whitten; grandchildren, Sarah (Matthew) Bowen, Seth Livingstone, John Livingstone, Jeff (Liz) Whitten, Amanda, Melanie (Danny) Smith; great grandchildren, Lexi and Owen Whitten, Evelyn Bowen, Oliver Whitten; brother, John Mont Sylvester, all of whom she loved. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Owen F. Whitten; her brother, Edward Eberhardt.
Services will be private at the Maine Veteran’s Cemetery in Augusta. Gifts in Janice’s memory may be made to the Dorothy Day Soup kitchen, c/o First Baptist Church 56 Center St. Bangor, ME 04401, or to a soup kitchen or food cupboard/pantry in your area.
Janice Melanie (Sylvester) Whitten, 76, died March 24, 2023, following a brief illness. She was born September 6, 1946, in Saco, Maine, the only daughter of Isabel (Derr) Sylvester and John Mellon Sylvester.
Janice grew up in Saco, Maine where she enjoyed playing with friends and her brother in the neighborhood, woods, and the beach. She loved family visits from her extended family in Pennsylvania. Janice rode horses and was fearless, even when thrown or stepped on by a spooked horse. Our mother was intelligent and dreamed of more than was allowed or encouraged for girls and women of her time. She graduated from Thornton Academy in the early 60s, and was told she could not go to medical school like she wanted. So, rather than settling for the paths laid out for her by the guidance counselor, Janice went to school and became an X-Ray technician and worked in that profession at Boston Children's Hospital, Maine Medical Center, and then, later, in a private doctor’s office while she raised her family. She became a volunteer EMT for the Town of Freeport when women were not commonly in that field. She was a CPR instructor as well. Later, she worked as a school secretary. Janice was creative, tailoring plaids perfectly, painting, gardening, cooking, and she made amazing pies. In her older years, when she moved to Bangor, she volunteered at the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen and enjoyed occasional afternoons at the casino with special friends, Lisa and Bob, as well as her nearly daily conversations with her neighbor, Jeannette. Janice was an avid Red Sox fan looking for spring training games even in her last few days here on earth. Mom always had a cat, some more favored than others, but her last cat, Zeke, will live out his days with the Livingstones.
Janice is survived by her children, Kim (Dan) Livingstone, Mark (Leigh-Ann) Whitten; grandchildren, Sarah (Matthew) Bowen, Seth Livingstone, John Livingstone, Jeff (Liz) Whitten, Amanda, Melanie (Danny) Smith; great grandchildren, Lexi and Owen Whitten, Evelyn Bowen, Oliver Whitten; brother, John Mont Sylvester, all of whom she loved. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Owen F. Whitten; her brother, Edward Eberhardt.
Services will be private at the Maine Veteran’s Cemetery in Augusta. Gifts in Janice’s memory may be made to the Dorothy Day Soup kitchen, c/o First Baptist Church 56 Center St. Bangor, ME 04401, or to a soup kitchen or food cupboard/pantry in your area.