Obituary of Linda Janca

Linda Jean Janca, of Yulee, passed away peacefully at Community Hospice in Fernandina Beach on June 28, 2024, following a severe stroke on the morning of June 24. A celebration of Linda’s active life will take place from 1 to 4 PM on August 24 at Amelia Musical Playhouse, in Fernandina Beach. Linda was born on February 16, 1952 in Baroda Michigan. After graduating from the University of Michigan, she toured Europe and Russia with friends. She loved traveling and visited nearly all US states and many countries. She was preceded in death by her parents Robert and Virginia Janca, and her sisters Bobby and Sue. Her surviving Family includes her husband, David Braatz, her 101-year old mother-in-law Teresa Braatz, her brother-in-law Richard (Karen) Braatz, her sister-in-law Debra Braatz, cousin Tom Jackson, and nieces and nephews: Dayna Phelps (Chris), Sarah Sheffer (Charlie), Joshua Blakeley , Katherine Olsen (Neil), Ashley Laplaca (Frankie), David Braatz (Joshua), Connor Braatz (Stephanie), Mackenzie Abernathy (Ryan), and great nieces and nephews: Alexis, Elska, Lillian, Isaac, Frankie, Patrick, Bennett, and Caroline. Her nieces and nephews thought of her as the “fun Auntie” because she found delightful ways to amuse them, gave them entertaining gifts, and they referred to her as Aunt Mosquito; Dave was Uncle Dragonfly. She met Dave Braatz at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in Irvington, New York. They both knew they were meant to be together, and were married in Michigan on November 26, 1976, sharing many adventures for the last 48 years. They lived in North Carolina until 2007. Linda’s thirty-one years in NC were filled with friends, travels, jobs with a major bank and writing for The Mecklenburg Gazette and The Elkin Tribune, gardening and maintaining a large vineyard, raising Labrador and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, theater, and playing fiddle in the Old-Time Band “Out the Back Door”. Linda and Dave moved to Fernandina Beach, FL in 2007, living on South Fletcher St and then in Pirate’s Bay before buying a house in Yulee in April 2021. Linda had a beautiful passion for many activities. She was a joyous participant in the Time Steppers, a local tap dance group that learned routines and shared that joy at assisted living facilities and community events. Linda was always there when possible, smiling and giving 100% to the dance routines and taking time to connect compassionately with those who were present. She was always welcoming new members to the group, and she freely shared her ideas to make the group even more fun. She also enjoyed being a part of the L.I.N.D.A. Club, which gathered annually in different parts of the country with nearly 400 “Linda’s” from all over the U.S. She was also active locally in Song Spinners, Amelia Island Singers, ACT, Council on Aging, AMP, and Wonder-Women Bowling. In addition to an active social life, Linda strongly believed in personal freedom and extremely limited government. In North Carolina, she participated in forming the Charlotte Libertarian Society, served as Chair of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina, and ran for Congress in 1982. She has remained a member of the national Libertarian Party since 1978 (Member # 1622), attended several national conventions, hosted state convention speakers in her home, and still has a Libertarian bumper sticker on her Honda. As Javier Milei has repeated, “Long Live Freedom – Dammit”. Locally, Linda attended the organizational discussions and financially supported Citizens Journal and loved reading Jeff Childers’ “Coffee and Covid” daily. Theater was a very important part of Linda’s life. She had roles in at least 39 on-stage Comedies or Dramas, plus 22 on-stage Musical Theater, seven stand-up & story-telling events as Minnie Pearl, and five roles on film. She has done over 60 shows with nine different companies, and also served as Director, Stage Manager, or on Crew and Design Work for at least 34 shows. Linda freely shared her passion for music, offering community programs for kids as well as for adults, playing her beloved fiddle, as well as guitar, tenor banjo, piano, hammered dulcimer, and singing. She inspired others with her love of music and dancing and was a true friend to many. In fact, Linda never met an art form she didn’t love and explore! She was adventuresome and unafraid to immerse herself in her community and in nature, especially loving the beach at sunrise. She inspired a passion for life! Our time together was far too short, but our memories of her will last forever. Please join friends and family for a Celebration of Linda’s Life on August 24 from 1-4 PM at Amelia Musical Playhouse. Those choosing to give a gift in memory of Linda can make a donation to the Amelia Island Singers, Amelia Musical Playhouse (AMP), Amelia Community Theater (ACT), or Citizens Journal. Donations to Citizens Journal can be made online or mailed to the address at: https://www.citizensjournal.net/mydonation/ Donations to Amelia Island Singers can be made through: https://www.ameliaislandsingers.com/support or by mail to 6541 Spyglass Circle, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. Donations to Amelia Community Theater can be made at https://app.artspeople.com/index.php?contribute=act11. Donations to Amelia Musical Playhouse can be sent to: 1955 Island Walkway, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. https://ameliamusicalplayhouse.com/