Janice K. Murdza

Janice K. Murdza of Abingdon, MD, passed in peace at home on January 31, 2021, surrounded by her loving children. Daughter of the late Edward S. and Mary D. Bacak Koloski, she was born September 23, 1940, at the family home in Hellertown, PA.

After attending St. Theresa Catholic Elementary School, Jan went on to the public high school, as the town had no Catholic secondary school. She was the new kid at Hellertown High, her best friends from St. Theresa’s having gone to another town to attend Catholic high school, and she was left to integrate into a student body where the other kids had known each other since kindergarten. For two weeks, Janice stood alone in the school courtyard each day after lunch as the students waited to be let back into the building. Finally, a girl she was acquainted with through church waved her over and invited her to join their group. The girl introduced her around, and after that, Jan settled in and made friends quickly. When she went home that day and told her father the story, he said to always remember that feeling. And she did. For the rest of her life, Janice worked to make sure no one stood alone. When she saw a new person in church, she introduced herself. When she noticed a person eating alone, she invited them to join her table. When she saw a need, she did her best to fill it.

Following her graduation from high school, Jan attended Chestnut Hill College, graduating with a double major in mathematics and physics. She moved to Harford County in 1962 to work at the Ballistics Research Lab at Aberdeen Proving Ground, continuing until her first child was born. After all her children were school-age, she began home teaching for the Harford County Board of Education, taking scores of students successfully through their courses as they recovered at home. She was also an active band parent, swim team mom, PTA member, Parks and Rec program organizer, and all-around wonderful mother, neighbor, and friend.

A founding member of the Prince of Peace Church in Edgewood, Jan was a dedicated parishioner, serving over the years as parish council president, lay corporator, RCIA teacher, eucharistic minister, and lector, in addition to helping organize decades’ worth of Spring Fiestas, seder meals, church picnics, pancake breakfasts, bull roasts, raffles, and church bingo games. In 2009, she was awarded the Archdiocesan Medal of Honor by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Jan was the beloved wife of James R. Murdza, who passed away in 2014. She is survived by her brother, Bernard Koloski, and by her children, Susan Lauzau, Christopher Lauzau, Linda Henry, Amanda Lauzau, Therese Murdza, and Christine Zier, as well as by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In her last days, while dreaming, Janice told some unseen person, “You are my dear, dear friend. . . What’s your name again?” And that sums up Janice perfectly. Every stranger was simply a friend she hadn’t met yet and love an infinite thing that only grew when given.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Prince of Peace Catholic Church on Saturday, February 6, and the family asks that especially those who are older or have health concerns honor her by attending virtually; also consider that space is limited due to Covid-19 capacity restrictions. The Mass will be livestreamed on the Prince of Peace (of Edgewood) Facebook page at 10 AM Saturday. Due to Covid-19 precautions, there will not be a reception following the service. Those who desire may contribute to Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 2600 Willoughby Beach Road, Edgewood, MD 21040, or to the American Cancer Society.