Obituary of Janis (John) V. Jaunarajs

Janis (John) V. Jaunarajs Feb. 28, 1940 - Aug. 30, 2011 Born in Riga, Latvia in 1940, Janis (John) was the son of the late Valentina and Captain Karlis J. Jaunarajs, Riga's Prefect of Police. Janis immigrated with his mother, older sister Dzintra and brother Aivars to Ruhpolding, Germany in 1944, and then to New Jersey in 1949. He graduated from Somerville High School, attended Rutgers University, and served in the U. S. Army for three years, including a tour of duty in Korea. Janis worked as a mechanical design engineer for Komline-Sanderson Engineering, of Peapack, NJ for the past twenty-three years, and previously for Bowen Engineering and Eagan Machinery of Somerville, NJ. Throughout his career, in his former capacity as both Manager of Atomizer Design and Development and Manager of Technical Service, he traveled extensively across five continents, where his multi-lingual abilities served him well. An inventor even is his childhood, Janis held several patents, and was known for his brilliant analytical mind and creative flair. He will be remembered for his generous nature, mischievous spirit, and ability to find ingenious solutions to everyday problems. Janis wrote poetry for his wife, Michele, hand-crafted meticulously detailed model ships, and was always eager to tell a joke or amusing story. An avid fisherman, he enjoyed leisure time spent on Spruce Run and Round Valley Reservoirs. Janis is survived by his wife, Michele (Potenzone) Jaunarajs of Whitehouse Station, NJ, with whom he celebrated his thirty-fourth wedding anniversary on July 24, 2011; daughter, Liesma (Lee) Reilly and her husband, Chris of Andover, NJ; daughter, Skaidrite (Sky) Kwasnick and her husband, Kevin of Poland, ME; grandchildren, Grahm and Hannah Kwasnick; brother, Karlis L. Jaunarajs and his wife, Gerlinde of Littleton, CO; sister-in-law, Linda Jaunarajs of Jim Thorpe, PA; and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by brothers, Talis and Aivars, and sister, Dzintra Jaunarajs Dungan. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 3 PM at the Rockaway Reformed Church, Whitehouse Station, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Rockaway Reformed Church Deacons Fund, P. O. Box 98, Whitehouse Station, NJ, or to the American Cancer Society.