Janet June Lanza

“You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair” ~Chinese Proverb

Janet June Lanza (Vandecoevering)

July 22, 1952, to April 6, 2026

Northeast Tacoma Washington

After a long 13-year battle with cancer, Janet June Lanza (Vandecoevering), 73, of Northeast Tacoma, passed away on Monday, April 6th, 2026, with her loving children by her side. Janet was born on July 22, 1952, in Hillsboro, Oregon, to Marion Vandecoevering and Isabelle Muylle. One of 9 siblings, Janet was an exceptional student from a young age. She loved school and excelled in academics, speech, drama, and 4H. After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene on scholarship and spent a year studying abroad in Stuttgart, Germany. She graduated with honors from the UO with a double major in English and German.

Janet and Roque Lanza were married from 1977 to 2000, and together they raised their four children, Kristina, Vanessa, Alex, and Eric, in San Diego, California, Okinawa, Japan, and Federal Way, Washington. In 2005, Janet earned her master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Seattle University and was a beloved ESL instructor at Highline Community College until her retirement in 2022.

Janet had a lifelong passion for learning. She insisted on thoroughly researching every new endeavor she set out to accomplish- from perfecting recipes, to planning ESL lessons for her students, to learning Dutch (at the age of 71!) in preparation for her trip to Amsterdam and Belgium in 2023. She loved to travel and experience different places and cultures. Meticulous and creative, she was gifted at sewing and needlepoint and loved creating handmade, bespoke gifts for friends and loved ones. She loved houseplants, art, travelling, clever quotes and idioms, correcting everyone’s grammar, discovering new restaurants, and spending time with her kids and grandchildren. She was a loving, supportive mother, a dear sister, and a cherished friend to many.

She took the same all-in approach in her journey with cancer. She was always researching new therapies, approaches, and best practices. She braved each clinical trial, surgery, and round of treatment with strength and resilience. Her care teams at Swedish Cancer Institute, Multicare, and Franciscan Hospice all witnessed her determination and resolve. In her final months, the hardest thing for her to do was accept that there were no other treatment options that she could try. She was the absolute embodiment of courage, grace, and love.

Janet is survived by her ex-husband, Roque, her children Vanessa (Christian), Alex (Kiana), Eric (Caitlin), and her seven grandchildren, Toby, Julian, Marlow, Kali, Devin, Emilia, and Silvia, her brother Kenny, and her sisters Sally, Donna, and Denise. She is preceded in death by her parents, siblings David, Paul, Constant, and Pauline, and her eldest daughter, Kristina.

A celebration of Janet’s life is planned for May 31st at the Pagoda Pavilion at Point Defiance Park, with more details to follow. Before her passing, Janet asked that in lieu of flowers, you consider a donation in her memory to the Melanoma Research Foundation https://melanoma.org/