Contributed By: SmithLindaKayT · 6 August 2014 ·
To look at her now, a nice grandmotherly type with a fondness for holiday designs on her ankle socks, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that this woman was the brunette, Barbie-shaped beauty who was riding on the Days of ’47 Royalty float as one of the top ten contestants just a few years back. (I’ve heard it said that she looked spectacular in a sweater).
But then, there’s more to Janice Gygi than meets the eye. You could maybe guess that she collects something cute like Boyd’s Bears, or even that she loves Nielsen’s lemon frozen custard. (Chocolate Malted Almond flavor will do in a pinch if they are out of lemon). But who’d have guessed this goin-all-the-time-kind-of-gal didn’t learn to drive until she was in her 30’s!
Word on the grapevine has it that Janice’s father didn’t think girls needed to drive, so she never really learned. So, as a young mother raising her brood of little ones and half the neighborhood along with them, she had her husband come home from work to take her when a child had a doctor appointment or she needed to go somewhere. After many trips home and interruptions at work, one day husband Ronald came home with a car and told her the driving lesson teacher was coming at three. And Janice hasn’t stopped going since!
You might be able to guess that a woman who is a legendary preschool teacher would be a seriously fun grandmother who remembers birthdays and holidays with books and cards and treats and the best toys in the world for her eight grandchildren. But who would have guessed that she was “a riot” while singing in “The Faces of Eve,” a musical program that traveled the valley over with presentations in the early 1970’s to women’s groups. They were heavily in demand and presented “Eve” dozens and dozens of times. As part of a quintet of friends in her neighborhood, Janice sang and presented dramatic sketches in a several different programs, both lighthearted and serious, but her most remembered role was when she sang “Sunrise, Sunset.” One woman who heard her as a little girl remembers her singing and said she always thinks of Janice when she sees a sunset to this day.
Janice love reading. She loves books. At the same time she is totally devoted to watching “Judging Amy,” “West Wing,” and, “CSI” on TV, and just don’t bother even knocking on her door when she is playing card games liked “5 Crowns.”
Janice has been part of the same book club that has met monthly for 28 years. She still gets together with old high school friends. She’s been married to the same man for 50 years, and taught at the same school for 34 years. This is a woman with staying power. But if you’ve met her, you’d know that. The things she’s brought to Holladay Preschool will stay with us for a long time to come.
(This was written for the Retirement Open House for Janice on Friday, May 16, 2003 and was read along with the document “A Thousand Kids and Counting.”)
Visit FamilySearch to learn more about Janice Tolman. Visit the Thomas Tolman Family Organization to find out how you can get more involved in family history.