Meggan Janota

Age 36, of Mt. Washington, on Thursday, October 30, 2014. Beloved daughter of Mary Lou (Lauterbach) Janota and the late Dr. John Paul Janota. Sister of John Joseph Janota. Friends welcome Sunday 2-4, 6-8 William Slater II Funeral Service (412-563-2800) 1650 Greentree Rd, Scott Twp. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00a.m. Monday in St. Mary of the Mount Church, Mt. Washington.

"On behalf of Meggan's family and friends, we thank you for being here today to celebrate a beautiful life. I will share these brief thoughts which have been written as a collective effort...

Many people talk about someone being strong, or helpful, or well-liked, or fun, or smart, as if those qualities are common. All of those things were true of Meggan, but the thing about her is that she was all of those things in a way that made them completely uncommon and made her an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind person. Really, words cannot do justice in expressing just how incredible Meggan was. Meggan loved and was loved, abundantly and without abandon. She was pure of heart, true to herself and others, vibrant and full of life.

Our beloved Meggan Elizabeth Janota at the young age of 36, returned to her Heavenly Father on October 30, 2014 after a courageous and inspiring five year battle with cancer. Meggan was a daughter, sister, friend, runner, and driven career person, but was so much more than that. Her influence extended far beyond her humble life; touching the lives of all who came in contact with her. Through service, gentle leadership, and boundless courage, her wit, intelligence, and genuine love for all people made her an example and beacon of light to all.

Meggan was born November 2, 1977 in Erie, PA and spent a joyful childhood filled with Erie Civic Ballet lessons, swim teams, and family camping trips. She had rich experiences attending Mercy Center of the Arts and St. Luke's Catholic School until 1988 when she moved with her family to Pittsburgh where her father was accepted into Pitt's doctoral program, and moved into a house across the street from St. Mary of the Mount School.

Her optimistic personality and willingness to serve and lead drew many friends to her. Meggan graduated from Seton-La Salle High School in 1996, attended The Penn State University Behrend Campus for two years and then transferred to the main campus in University Park, PA in 1998 graduating with a degree in Marketing in 2000. For a brief period after college, she followed her dream of living in New York City, but boomeranged back to Mt. Washington, after 9/11, renting a 16' U Haul in Harlem and driving that stick shift truck through the Lincoln tunnel, and across the state, back to Pittsburgh solo. She was determined and brave...always.
During her school years, Meggan's ability to draw people in, help them have fun and feel good about themselves and their work made her valued wherever she went. Meggan loved to laugh and felt that life should be fun and she made sure that her life was fun. Meggan was never too proud to quote a silly movie or do an impersonation just to make someone laugh. She found joy in the little things in life, like Saturday Night Live skits, making funny faces at her friends, and just hanging out on the couch eating gummies and reading gossip magazines.
Meggan's passion for fashion was clear early on and certainly made her career choice a perfect fit. As a buyer for Dick's Sporting Goods, her love of exercise, particularly distance running, was able to cross over with her daily work. Meggan never seemed to tire of new friendships, even while being an incredible maintainer of the deep relationships she had developed as a child and later in High School and College. Her smile and laugh were infectious and it seemed that wherever she went people just wanted to get to know and talk with her.

Meggan was training for a marathon when she was diagnosed and began her battle with breast cancer. As usual, she faced this challenge with courage, and still managed to run her best ever time in the race. Humor, living each day to its fullest, and a need to help all those around her motivated her as she moved into treatment. Cancer did not define Meggan. She never gave up hope that she would win this battle. It was something she dealt with, but she never let cancer dictate how she led her life. In fact, her doctors describe her as brave in her battle, never flinching and always smiling -in spite of the hardship, unexpected hurdles, disappointments and roller coaster of the past few years.

Megs flew to Costa Rica and overcame her fear of the ocean in 2012 thanks to the Athena Foundation (www.projectathena.org), which selected her to advance her athletic goal by learning how to surf. They sent her on this adventure which lifted her spirits and boosted her confidence, having just had a double mastectomy and brain surgery. She dove into that challenge with incredible success and experienced one of the best weeks of her life. Meggan continued to support this organization through fundraisers in the following months and years.

Her employer, Dick's Sporting Goods, also did a running campaign with Meggan as their motivational spokesperson. She encouraged and inspired others more than she will ever know, and her legacy will continue in all of us. Her illness did not take her away from her family, her friends, or the joy she found in being a loyal friend and confidante. Her boundless creativity and ability to make anything a good experience grew, as did her circle of friends who just wanted to learn from her as they watched her tackle each setback or new treatment with bravery, a positive attitude, and hope.

Meggan made everyone's life brighter, happier, and just better in ways too many to count. Recognizing Meggan's positive influence and in an attempt to capture, record, and share about Meggan's life and health, her friends created an initiative called "Miracle for Meggan" (https://www.facebook.com/MiracleForMeggan). We encourage visitors to that Facebook page to contribute their own favorite stories about Meggan.

As the time for Meggan to transition from this world drew closer, she and her family were greatly blessed by the friends and family far and near who were so actively praying for her and them. They wish to thank all who donated to the fundraising efforts of Miracle for Meggan and to everyone who honored Meggan in their own way, by running for her, adding her to the prayers of their churches, or sending her cards and gifts which sustained her during the difficult times of treatment.

Meggan is survived by her mother: Mary Lou Janota and her brother: John Janota, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. She was preceded in death by her father: John P. Janota in 1998. We find some peace and comfort in knowing that they are together again, most certainly looking down on us and smiling."
We who grieve you, Meggan, only mourn with such depth because of the intensity of our love for you. It is a testament to how very ingrained in the souls of the friends and family you touched how very missed you will be on this planet. Peace is now with you, and we pray it will return to all those who feel the gravity of your loss on earth so intensely as we celebrate the gift of having known you- today and always...celebrating your life.
--
Amber Koter-Puline