Obituary of Janet A. Chidiac

Janet A. Chidiac, 94, passed away peacefully on February 2, 2021.

Janet was born in Paterson, New Jersey on June 16, 1926, the daughter of Aleppo, Syria immigrants, the late Naim and Amina (Bastory) Chidiac. She graduated from Saint Agnes Grammar school (1939) and St John Cathedral High School (1943) in Paterson, and attended Seton Hall University College, Secretarial Division, in Newark, NJ. Devoted to St. Anthony and St. Jude, may she rest now and enjoy their company and the company of all the saints.

Janet held many professional and volunteer positions throughout her life. During World War II, she attended a special drafting class conducted by Wright Aeronautical, Paterson, and began working for Wright’s in 1943 until the end of the war. She dedicated herself to the secretarial profession, rising to the level of Executive Secretary early in and throughout her career. She worked in Manhattan’s X-Ray Badge Company; Paterson’s Straight & Narrow; PNC Bank (formerly NJ Bank) in the Department of Non-Profit Organizations, Paterson; she retired in 2014 from the Law Office of Norman J. Chidiac, Esq., Clifton, NJ. She was an active member of the National Professional Secretaries Association (PSA), Past-President of the New Jersey PSA Chapter, and regular attendee at PSA Annual National Meetings.

A devout Catholic, she was a member of the Rosary Altar Society. Her volunteer service to Paterson’s St. Agnes Parish, St. Bonaventure Parish, and St. Mary Help of Christians Parish included secretarial and community services to parish offices and their Rosary Societies (serving also as Rosary Society President and as Secretary); and she was the first secretary of the New Jersey ALSAC (Armenian-Lebanese-Syrian Association Charity) -the initial fundraising organization for St. Jude Research Hospital, Memphis.

Janet was beloved sister of John Chidiac (London, Ontario) and Norman Chidiac (Clifton, NJ); She was predeceased by brothers Anthony and Bernard (Buddy) Chidiac, sisters Eleanor Chidiac, Mary (Chidiac) Iozzio, and Pearl (Chidiac) Loffredo, and nephew Norman Iozzio. She was aunt and Godmother of nieces Mary Jo Iozzio, Mary Claire (Loffredo) Hanson, Barbara Ann Chidiac, and nephew Michael Chidiac; aunt of John Iozzio, Frank Iozzio, Margaret (Loffredo) Vigorito, Jeanne (Loffredo) Cutrona, Eileen Loffredo, Cathleen (Loffredo) Hinch, Donna (Loffredo) Zielinski, Peter Chidiac, Gerald Chidiac, Norman Chidiac, Mark Chidiac, Lisa (Chidiac) Hauser, John Chidiac, James Chidiac, and Amy Chidiac, along with thirty-six great-nieces and nephews, and four great, great-nephews. In additional to this family tree, Janet was cherished by her extended family of cousins –Chidiac, Shashaty, Altonjy, and Ged families—with whom close ties were held.

Visiting hours on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 from 9:00am-10:00am at Santangelo Funeral Home, 635 McBride Ave, Woodland Park, NJ. Funeral Mass follows at 10:15am at St. Bonaventure R.C. Church, Ramsey St and Danforth Ave, Paterson. Interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa. Mass will be live streamed @ https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=stbonslive and https://stbonspaterson.org.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 (or go to this website link, then enter ‘My gift is “in memory of” Janet A. Chidiac, etc:  https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?frequency_selected=2&sc_icid=mem-lp-donate-text-secondary).