Janelle Marie Ajhar
Janelle Marie Ajhar, 71, of Lopatcong Township, died on June 6, 2026, surrounded by her father, sister, and brother. She was born on March 28, 1955, to Edward A. and Grace P. Ajhar. She is survived by her father, her sister Linda Ajhar, and her brother Edward A. Ajhar II and his wife Mercedes. She was preceded in death by her mother.
Bringing love and joy to her coworkers over her lifetime in many roles, Janelle made hoagies at Steer-Rite Meats, her parent’s store, and to the delight of her love of chocolate ice cream, she enjoyed supervising the workers at Piazza’s Plaza, her uncle’s ice cream stand. She worked at Abilities in Washington, NJ. She loved books and volunteered at the Phillipsburg Free Public Library for over 25 years. Since 2017 she has been volunteering at the Warren County Public Library, Southwest Branch in Stewartsville. While Janelle had always aspired to be a registered nurse to comfort others and make them feel better, everyone who knew her will attest that she comforted their souls and made them feel better: Janelle was a nurse to our souls. A lifelong parishioner of St. Philip and St. James Catholic Church, Janelle always enjoyed sitting in the front pew, where should could enthusiastically participate in Mass and be as close to Jesus as possible. She had special affection for her Godfather, her uncle Samuel Piazza, who preceded her in death, and her Godmother, his wife Mary Piazza, who survives Janelle. Because of this affection, Janelle also loved serving as Honorary Godmother to several very special family members.
Janelle brought love and joy to her family in ways that no words can describe. She made friends with everyone that she met, and each one of those friends was genuinely very special to her. Janelle had an encyclopedic memory of birthdays and wedding anniversaries of everyone she knew, and she made sure to get her friends presents for Christmas and birthdays. She loved the people at Steve’s Pizza and at many other establishments in the area. She loved music and enjoyed playing the organ, which she did by ear, and she loved dancing to the music at Wind Creek. She enjoyed Zumba with her friends. Watching television, she loved Lucy and The Three Stooges among many other oldies.
Mostly, Janelle loved Jesus, Mary, and all the people around her. Filled with compassion, she always prayed for everyone—the hungry, the poor, children, anyone sick, the souls of the departed, everyone in need of prayer. Janelle tutored us all in pure love and innocence. Her departure has left our world with a great void that we all need to fill, if just a little, by returning to others a small drop of the great love that Janelle gave to us all. Jesus wept, and so do we. We love you, Janelle, with all our hearts.
Visitation will be held Friday, June 12, 2026 from 6 to 8 pm at the Finegan Funeral Home, 302 Heckman St, Phillipsburg, NJ. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, June 13, 1 pm at St. Philip and St. James Church, 430 S. Main St., Phillipsburg, NJ. The interment will follow at St. Philip and St. James cemetery in Greenwich Township, NJ.