Noel Robert Janko

Noel Robert Janko was born on April 26th, 1936 in Atlanta GA, to Eva (Katz) Janko and Isaac Janko. His parents divorced when Noel was about three and he recalls going to a boarding school of sorts after that while his mother worked. Later he boarded at Georgia Military Academy for some time before entering his teens. To this day he refused to eat stewed tomatoes or tapioca pudding after that ordeal. He describes his growing up years as being chaotic. As a child he spent a lot of time at his Aunt Jean's (Sporn) home playing with his cousins, particularly Norman who was Tarzan in their games. Noel recalls frequent moves, many around Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC. He made frequent visits to the Smithsonian Institution.

When he was around 7 years of age, his mother remarried; John Finn became his stepfather. Noel treasured his relationship with him until his passing, after Johnny and his mother had been married for 33 years. When he was 11 years old, his sister Susan was welcomed into the family. He became her Bub and proudly paraded her around to friends and neighbors.

Noel quit high school to join the Navy as a very young man, during the Korean Conflict. He elected to go to Corps School and proudly served alongside the Marines as a 'Doc'. He then served in the reserves for 10 years. He got his GED, then a Bachelors in Psychology at San Diego State, a Masters in Counseling at LA State, and a business certificate from DePaul University. Along the way he picked up various hobbies; He was a photographer for the San Diego Padres in the early 1970's, he was offered a job as a stand up comedian in Las Vegas, and he played drums for a Dixieland Jazz band at various venues like the Del Mar Fair, Disneyland, and Hotel Del Coronado. He was an expert ham radio operator and made calls around the world, sometimes in emergent situations where his expertise made all the difference. He enjoyed learning and teaching war history. He collected and traded knives and guns.

Early in his career he worked in the prison system as a counselor. He was a social worker in San Diego, dealing with families and children. He was the Director of the San Diego Association for Retarded Citizens which operated a sheltered workshop where clients manufactured specialized drill bits for industry. He was the promotional director at shopping malls in SouthBay, Carlsbad, and Santa Maria, California. He ran a business that installed and gave instruction for computer systems in business, including several hospitals in the San Diego area. During the latter part of his work he was a business consultant, working with businesses to establish good practices and increase their revenue.

Noel identified himself as being agnostic for much of his life, in spite of going through the religious education required before his bar mitzvah at age thirteen. He had excellent knowledge of the Old Testament, particularly in Deuteronomy and Isaiah, often from a different perspective because of his roots in the Jewish faith.

Along the way he met a friend, Bob Riska, who shared his love of music and who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. Bob was an excellent organist and piano player. He and Noel played clubs together around San Diego. He and his wife, Connie, fellowshipped Noel but he wasn't having any of it at the time. Later, at one of Noel's employments, the seeds that had been sown previously came to fruition after he was mentered by a coworker, Jane Adair, and her husband. They have blessed our lives beyond measure!

Noel was the love of my life. He had such an outgoing personality that he was able to easily connect with just about anyone, becoming their friend and brother. We were able to have almost 35 years together on earth. His death was made so much less painful because we knew that when we were sealed together for time and eternity in the Los Angeles temple, we would be able to be together again after our time here on earth. We would be able to grow and progress after we pass from mortal existence.

He is survived by his sister Susan Finn, a son Brian Janko, a cousin, Cheryl (Bill) Gross, his wife and his stepchildren, Veronica Fletcher and Justin Hofmann.

To find more about more about what we believe happens after death, click on the link below:
https://www.ldsliving.com/life-after-death-6-insights-into-the-spirit-world/s/77329