Carl Janetka
2022-11-05
Carl J. Janetka passed away peacefully on November 5, 2022 at the age of 87. He was born to Charles and Lillian (Sharkey) Janetka in Philadelphia, PA. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his stepfather Louis Moffa in 1998, his brother, Robert (“Bobby”), in 2000, and his daughter, Kerry, in 2022.
A 1953 graduate of Upper Moreland High School, Carl was an exceptional student and athlete and excelled in several different sports. After high school, Carl attended Bloomsburg State Teachers College on a basketball scholarship, is where he met his future wife, Kathleen and from which he graduated in 1959. He subsequently obtained his Masters of Education degree from Temple University in 1962. After graduation from Bloomsburg, Carl began what would be a long and distinguished career as an educator when he began teaching at Upper Dublin High School in 1959. During his 35 years at Upper Dublin, he taught almost every Business course offered by the high school at one time or another, served as Business Department Chairman, and was the mentor and leader of the UD Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) organization. But Carl was more than just an educator and teacher – he was also heavily involved in the Upper Dublin Athletic program, having coached several different team sports at Upper Dublin in either an assistant or head coaching capacity. He was an assistant varsity football coach, an assistant and then head varsity basketball coach, and an assistant and then head varsity soccer coach. One of his greatest years as a head coach was in 1988 when his Varsity Soccer team won the Suburban One league championship. His many coaching accomplishments finally culminated in his well-earned induction to the Upper Dublin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. Other than his family, Carl’s biggest source of pride was how many of his former students and players he coached had reached out to him over the years to let him know how influential his role in high school had been in their post-college lives, either in athletics or in their careers. He was universally liked and respected by friends and colleagues alike – if you didn’t like Carl, it meant that you simply hadn’t met him yet. After his retirement from teaching in 1995, this consummate family man enjoyed nothing more than playing tennis on Sundays with his old Upper Dublin teaching buddies, gardening and working in the yard in the summer, and spending time on family vacations in Hilton Head, SC almost every summer. He loved hanging out on the deck in the summer with the old neighborhood crew at 349 Knoll Road, the monthly poker nights, the annual Knollamede Horseshoe Tournaments, and often hosted Philly sports watching get-togethers for his sons and neighbors. As many friends and family members will also attest to, Carl had a wonderful and unique sense of humor and his family often joked that he must have been the originator of the “Dad joke”. Carl is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kathleen (Durkin) Janetka, his sister Lorraine (Glenn) Bowen, his sons Karl (Meaghan) and Eric (Julie), nephews Derek and Brett (Nina) Bowen, and grandchildren Alexandra, Brian, Marina and Alex – all of whom loved him and will miss him greatly. Family and friends are invited to attend a joint memorial service (for Carl and daughter Kerry) on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at Kirk & Nice Funeral Home at George Washington Memorial Park located at 80 Stenton Avenue, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, with visitation from 9:30AM to 11:00AM and celebration of life and sharing of memories immediately afterwards from 11:00AM to 12:00 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Salvation Army at www.give.salvationarmy.org would be greatly appreciated.
A 1953 graduate of Upper Moreland High School, Carl was an exceptional student and athlete and excelled in several different sports. After high school, Carl attended Bloomsburg State Teachers College on a basketball scholarship, is where he met his future wife, Kathleen and from which he graduated in 1959. He subsequently obtained his Masters of Education degree from Temple University in 1962. After graduation from Bloomsburg, Carl began what would be a long and distinguished career as an educator when he began teaching at Upper Dublin High School in 1959. During his 35 years at Upper Dublin, he taught almost every Business course offered by the high school at one time or another, served as Business Department Chairman, and was the mentor and leader of the UD Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) organization. But Carl was more than just an educator and teacher – he was also heavily involved in the Upper Dublin Athletic program, having coached several different team sports at Upper Dublin in either an assistant or head coaching capacity. He was an assistant varsity football coach, an assistant and then head varsity basketball coach, and an assistant and then head varsity soccer coach. One of his greatest years as a head coach was in 1988 when his Varsity Soccer team won the Suburban One league championship. His many coaching accomplishments finally culminated in his well-earned induction to the Upper Dublin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. Other than his family, Carl’s biggest source of pride was how many of his former students and players he coached had reached out to him over the years to let him know how influential his role in high school had been in their post-college lives, either in athletics or in their careers. He was universally liked and respected by friends and colleagues alike – if you didn’t like Carl, it meant that you simply hadn’t met him yet. After his retirement from teaching in 1995, this consummate family man enjoyed nothing more than playing tennis on Sundays with his old Upper Dublin teaching buddies, gardening and working in the yard in the summer, and spending time on family vacations in Hilton Head, SC almost every summer. He loved hanging out on the deck in the summer with the old neighborhood crew at 349 Knoll Road, the monthly poker nights, the annual Knollamede Horseshoe Tournaments, and often hosted Philly sports watching get-togethers for his sons and neighbors. As many friends and family members will also attest to, Carl had a wonderful and unique sense of humor and his family often joked that he must have been the originator of the “Dad joke”. Carl is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kathleen (Durkin) Janetka, his sister Lorraine (Glenn) Bowen, his sons Karl (Meaghan) and Eric (Julie), nephews Derek and Brett (Nina) Bowen, and grandchildren Alexandra, Brian, Marina and Alex – all of whom loved him and will miss him greatly. Family and friends are invited to attend a joint memorial service (for Carl and daughter Kerry) on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at Kirk & Nice Funeral Home at George Washington Memorial Park located at 80 Stenton Avenue, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, with visitation from 9:30AM to 11:00AM and celebration of life and sharing of memories immediately afterwards from 11:00AM to 12:00 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Salvation Army at www.give.salvationarmy.org would be greatly appreciated.
I had Mr. Janetka for Accounting Class. He was one of my very favorite teachers. RIP
tribute by Kathleen Duckenfield KellyMr. J, your Typing class gave me a skill that enabled me to surmount the handicap of piss-poor penmanship (which I have traced back at least 4 generations in my family). If you google me you will find many scholarly works and punditry; these would have been well nigh impossible without what I gained from your typing class.
tribute by Ken Ryesky