WESTFIELD- Janice E. (Long) Morse, 85, peacefully passed from this world on Tuesday March 29, 2016. She was born in the small town of Gorham, nestled in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, on February 16, 1931. Janice was the daughter of the late Ernest and Gladys (Heath) Long. Moving to Westfield at the age of nine, she attended local schools and graduated from Westfield High. She was a devout Catholic and a communicant of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, in Westfield serving on the Parish Council in earlier years.
Janice wore many hats. She was a salesperson for Hearns Furniture in Westfield, Traffic Supervisor for the City of Westfield, and a security officer at J.C. Penney in Holyoke. Sharing her passion for the water, she taught many children how to swim for the Westfield Red Cross. She was a U.S. Census taker, a longtime Republican City Committee member and loved being involved in the community.
Being with family and friends meant the world to her. She enjoyed creating family scrapbooks and photo albums, and loved to cook and bake. She liked feeding the birds, tending her gardens, and swimming in her pool. Janice was an optimist, always seeing the cup as half full and reminding us that “everything happens for a reason.”
Her husband of 63 years, Charles J. Morse predeceased her in 2014 as did her son Charles Jr. in 1993. She will be deeply missed forever by her daughter Donna L. Colson of Southwick and her husband Brett; her grandchildren, Brett II, Zachary, his wife Crystal and great grandsons Lucas and Jacob; and Sarah and her husband Christopher Bedard.
A mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 10:00 at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, Holyoke Rd. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, both in Westfield. The Robert E. Cusack Funeral Home, Westfield, is assisting the family with arrangements. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Chapter 480 Pleasant Street Watertown, MA 02472 to support dementia research in memory of her husband Charles.
