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Janice Hay DiSesa, 93, of Madison passed away on Jan. 14, at The Hearth at Tuxis Pond after a long battle with dementia. She was the wife of Leonard “Sonny” DiSesa since 1949, widowed since his death from renal cell cancer in 1991.

Janice was born Aug. 16, 1928, in Stamford, to the late Robert S. Hay and Jessie Lovett Hay Chiappetta, previously residing in Stamford before settling in Madison in 1994. She graduated from Stamford High School in 1946, Green Mountain College with an associate degree in 1949 and was employed by the Stamford Advocate until retiring in 1951 (as was custom at the time) when she became pregnant. She was active in the Madison Winter Club and Old Saybrook bowling league, liked gardening, and spent most of her time enjoying family events.

Janice will be remembered for the love and generosity she shared with family and friends. Her life was filled with giving to others, giving both herself and her time, including finding time to do volunteer work with cancer patients as a busy mom of four. Her door was always open, and a pot of coffee was always on. She traveled the world once her children were grown, including an 80-day around-the-world cruise and she was strong, a fighter, surviving both uterine cancer in 1985 and lung cancer in 1989.

She is survived by her daughter Janet DiSesa Conlon (Kenneth) of Madison and children Kristen Conlon Mierzejewski (Bryan) and Kelly Conlon Smith (Michael) both of Clinton; her daughter Judy DiSesa of Clinton; her son John DiSesa (Maureen) of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and children Brian DiSesa (Ashley) of Halifax, Massachusetts, Lauren DiSesa Goldstein (Jamie) of Parkland, Florida, and stepson Jacob Alaburda (Hailey) of Northborough, Massachusetts; and her daughter Jaye DiSesa Petersen (William) of Stratford and daughter Danielle (John) Petersen of Canton.

She is also survived by 10 great-grandchildren: Molly Mierzejewski; Carter, McKenzie, and Tatym Smith; Jaxson and Sadie DiSesa; Aliya Goldstein; Jarrett and John Alaburda; and Emily Moss.

Janice was predeceased by her parents, sister Marcia and brother-in-law Harvey Parmiter, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Gloria and Joseph Rumore, and special cousin Betty Pratt Erskine and her husband Archibald.

A special thank you goes to the staff of The Hearth at Tuxis Pond and VITAS Healthcare for their many hours of love and care during Janice’s last years.

Memorial services will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, at Swan Funeral Home, Madison. A private family burial in Stamford will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may also be made to Forgotten Felines in Clinton or Dementia Society of America at dementiasociety.org.