Janice Frances D'Elia MacDonald of Swansea, Massachusetts, died peacefully on her 79th Birthday, Monday, December 17, 2018, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Fall River, MA, the daughter of the late William A. D'Elia and Anne M. (Pieroni), Janice spent her formative years at the family home on Bedford Street, attended Hugo A. Dubuque Elementary School, Morton Junior High School and was a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, Class of 1957, where she proudly cheered for St. Agnes's!

Janice's theatrical and artistic foundations were rooted in tap, be it her grace, attitude or style - she identified as a tap dancer at her core. Janice's tap dancing skills were honed after artistic director Eugenia Field handpicked her to be her private student. She later trained in ballet, pointe and modern jazz.

In 1964, Janice relocated her young family to Gardner's Neck Road in Swansea, MA with her former husband, the late Sumner B. MacDonald Jr. It was here that she developed her entrepreneurial persona as "Miss Janice." From the basement of Our Lady of Fatima Church where she prepared for her first recital of Peter and the Wolf at Christ Church, she then moved her studio to the basement of her home, culminating in "Miss Janice's Dance Studio" at Cole's Landing. Janice practiced the mantra of "no child left behind" opening her studio to all levels, comforting, nurturing and inspiring all
students and abilities, regardless of their financial circumstances or skills. Her generosity was legendary.

After retiring from Miss Janice's studio, she focused solely on her other love, as owner and artistic director of Janice MacDonald's Studio Theater Company and Show Biz Kidz, two other extremely successful businesses into which she poured her expertise and influence up until the time of her passing.

Janice was the most sought-after choreographer in the South Coast area, in professional, regional and educational theatre. She was a driving force during her 50 plus years at The Little Theatre of Fall River (LTFR), contributing and mentoring as an actress, choreographer and director. She also served on the Board and sat on many Play-Reading Committees. Some stellar starring roles Janice immortalized at LTFR were Charity in Sweet Charity, Gladys in the Pajama Game, Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls, Molly in the Unsinkable Molly Brown, Velma in Chicago and Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes - among scores of others.

In addition to her exceptional dancing and acting skills, Janice was a talented comedienne with near-perfect timing, as was evidenced in roles such as Olive in the Odd Couple (female version) and Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off. Janice's directorial triumphs included The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The Odd Couple (original version).

Janice was the recipient of the LTFR Lifetime Membership Award and was the first recipient of the Angus Bailey Award. Janice was a co-founder of Port West Players, a professional summer stock theater in Tiverton RI, along with Sumner. Their smash hit original production of "Your Basic All-
Star, Ragtime, Bebop and Blues Revue," was held over for several weeks by popular demand. Janice was not only the co-creator and choreographer of the revue alongside "Fantasticks" creator Word Baker, she also sang and danced her way to rave reviews, highlighted by her searing rendition of "St. Louis Woman."

One of Janice's most important artistic collaborations was with the late legendary Angus Bailey, both at the LTFR and at his drama company at SMU, later UMass Dartmouth. With Angus as director and Janice as choreographer they created some of the most memorable productions to be performed on that stage. They also worked closely together on numerous musical revues and comedies for the SMU Summer Cabarets, all of which she choreographed and in some of which she performed. Janice and Angus were also the closest of friends with Angus becoming godfather to her daughter Jessica. In addition to the numerous stage productions they collaborated on, Janice, Sumner and Angus made two professional films together, Below the Hill, shot in Fall River and Epitaph for Emily, shot in Little Compton, and presented at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

At the time of her 70th surprise birthday celebration at Fall River Heritage State Park on December 19, 2009, Janice was honored with a Massachusetts State Resolution by then Senator Joan Menard and Massachusetts Representative Patricia Haddad for her "tireless commitment to the communities of Fall River and Swansea, as well as throughout Southeast Massachusetts, through her unexcelled enthusiasm, mentoring and intrinsic passion of theater and dance to the children, families, students and dedicated audiences. Janice MacDonald has created a legacy of community involvement and civic concern that will long inspire the citizens of the community and state."

Her proudest moment was the Mayoral Proclamation from then Fall River Mayor Robert Correia, proclaiming the 20 th of December in the City of Fall River as Janice MacDonald Day for all her contributions to promote the enhancement of the Arts in the community. More recently, on July 20, 2018, Janice was honored by the New Bedford Festival Theatre at an awards ceremony, presented by the Festival Theatre founders, Armand Marchand and George Charbonneau. Janice was cited for her "legendary devotion to the Performing Arts and her inspired choreography…the driving force of many productions of high school, college, community theatre and professional theatre levels for over 50 years, receiving accolades from the communities she has enhanced and the thousands of performers she has touched with her amazing energy and creativity."

Janice MacDonald leaves two daughters: Melissa MacDonald Paradise and her husband, Dana of Fall River, MA, Jessica MacDonald Scott and her husband, Alan of Brooklyn, NY; grandchildren Cassandra (Cassie) Walz, Ami Walz and Johanna Bay Scott, great-grandson Hunter Leo Sumner St. Laurent. "Adopted children" Norman, Cynthia and Sean Smith, and her adopted grandsons, Trevor and Cole Criollos. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved brother Robert "Bobby" D'Elia. She also leaves her niece Shelley D'Elia Rego, her husband Nate, and grand-nephew Cameron of Dartmouth; niece Jillian D'Elia Davenport and her husband Kyle of Dartmouth; nephew Josh D'Elia and his partner Jenny Cefaly of Los Angeles. Surviving Janice is her devoted brother William "Billy" D'Elia. Janice also leaves behind several cousins, multiple godchildren and countless devoted friends and admirers.

An informal memorial gathering was held on Saturday, December 22nd, at the St. Anne's Frat in Fall River. All expressed their love with many sharing stories and toasting to the one and only Miss Janice with her favorite drink, Dewars and Diet Coke.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to St. Jude's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude's Place, Memphis, TN 38105, would be greatly appreciated, as it was a charity very near to her heart.

A theatrical memorial service, fitting of honoring a Grande Dame like Miss Janice, is currently being planned - details to be announced.

The following is a poem written by William "Billy" D'Elia for
Janice Frances D'Elia MacDonald

-Tap dancer-

1.
The anticipation was nearly overpowering as a kid,
all of ten years, mesmerized by my Uncle Frank
laboring in front of the massive polishing lathe
behind the counter inside his cluttered cobbler shop.
When he shut it down, the whirring shaft of the lathe
slowed smoothly to a stop behind him.–– And then,
he finalized the task-at-hand by tacking metal "clickers"
to the outer edge of each new heel of my old Sunday shoes.
The quarter-moon shaped clickers were strategically placed,
calculated by the wear-patterns of both the old, discarded heels.
Frank was well aware of his culpability in acquiescing to my request,
but tacked down the parentally outlawed clickers, anyway.

2.
During that time and concurrently, it was by the patent-leather tap shoes
worn by my sister, three years my elder, that I first became aware
of the grater dynamic in the sounds of shoes clicking upon a hard surface;
her dancing feet on a fast-track through endless hours of deliberate study,
tapping over the kitchen's worn linoleum after supper and into the wacky
situation comedies of early nighttime television, broadcast live into the parlors
of the neighborhood's hard-earned tranquility.
Hers, was the burgeoning of genius.

3.
As for me, the clicking of my heels was no more than a cool,
short-lived sound repeating itself across the sidewalks of Bedford Street
or the narrow corridors of the Hugo A. Dubuque School, where
roaming these and other walking-distance locations
I might have made a name for myself as something of a local curiosity.

Quequechan