JANET ELIZABETH (VARNER) PERUGINI

Born into this world to parents Anna Devota McAuley and Clifford Stewart Varner, June 27, 1936, was a beautiful, blue-eyed baby girl named Janet Elizabeth. Janet was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As a young teenager, she moved with her family to a new suburban paradise called Long Island, where, at the young age of 14, she met her handsome Italian prince Joe on the streets of a little town called Island Park. She married Joseph "Joe" Daniel Perugini on April 24, 1954.

Janet and Joe lived their first 25 years of marriage out on the island in the cities of Island Park, Merrick, and Freeport, with the exception of a short stint in Florida. Janet was not a big fan of her Floridian neighbors (aka alligators) so she "convinced" Joe to move back to New York where they eventually raised their four daughters--Donna, Madeline (Lynne), Cindy, and Karyn.
Joe built homes working for his own construction company, along with his brother Danny, while mom raised the kids cooking Grandma Perugini's famous pasta sauce. Soon their two eldest daughters were married and then their son Robert (Bobby) was born. They lived in New York until Robert was about three years old.

For the second half of their lives, Janet and Joe, along with all of the kids, followed Joe's two brothers out to sunny California where he began to work for Disney and in the art department of many of Hollywood's major movie studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount, and Touchstone, just to name a few. Janet and Robert would often travel with Joe to some of the unique locations where he worked on such films as Blade, Dante's Peak, Heat, A Few Good Men, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, What About Bob?, Spaceballs and Poltergeist. Janet continued to make Grandma Perugini's famous pasta sauce, even selling it to local restaurants, while Joe continued his 20-year Hollywood career in film, until he passed away February 3, 1998.

Throughout the years, Janet's daughters were married and had families of their own, blessing Janet and Joe with 12 grandchildren: Joey, Brian, Jennifer, Bucky, Kati, Jaimee, Brandon, Nicci, Paul, Les, Maegan, and Bryanna and an additional 13 great-grandchildren, with another great grandbaby on the way. Janet was incredibly proud of each and every grandchild and great grandchild, loving and watching them grow being one of her greatest joys. As everyone knows, Janet loved those babies!

In addition to Janet's hobby of playing with her baby grandchildren and great grandchildren, she loved her gardening and decorating. She could always be found in a garden center or a furniture store. And, if she wasn't there, you could find her in her ½ acre backyard gardening. When you arrived at her house, the first thing she would do is grab your hand and bring you out to see her Irises, or whatever other flower was in bloom, or to go see the fish in the pond that Joe had built for her. Boy, did she love for you to smell the flowers in her garden and see those fish!

Janet had two sisters, Patricia and Delores, and two brothers, Billy and Clifford. She was the last surviving sibling in her immediate family.

Janet passed away on January 3, 2020, at the age of 83 years old. Her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren hope to continue the beautiful legacy she and her first- and-only-love Joe started more than 65 years ago. She will forever be loved and missed by everyone but will once again be reunited with her Joseph.

Graveside service is Thursday, January 9, 2020, 1:00 p.m.

Donations can be made in Janet's honor to her favorite charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.