Janene Love

Janene was born in Madison, Wisconsin on February 13, 1951 to B. Carl Zibolsky and Betty Wiese Zibolsky. Her parents later divorced. Janene and her four siblings faced many hardships, but these challenges strengthened their bond.

Janene also recalled many happy memories from childhood. Riding her bike to and from choir practice made her feel free. She enjoyed taking the bus with her siblings to Tenney Park in Madison to swim in the lake. They also ventured to the local shop to buy penny candies. On occasion, Janene and her siblings visited her grandparents in Dodgeville. Her grandfather was a chiropractor and operated his clinic in the basement of his house. Janene admired her grandfather’s education and entrepreneurism and would eventually follow his example.

During high school, Janene moved to Minocqua, a small resort town in Wisconsin. Although it was a difficult transition, Janene liked being surrounded by nature. At Lakeland High School, Janene’s sister Karlene was prom queen, and Janene was elected to her court. Her senior year, Janene’s guidance counselor told her she didn’t need to take the SAT because she “was just going to get married and have babies.” This comment stuck with her and she always advocated for women to strive for a better life through education. Janene took the SAT anyway and performed better than anyone expected. After graduation, she continued her education and became a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1971.

Shortly after graduation, she married John Love and eventually followed him to Laramie, Wyoming. Her daughter, April, was born in 1977. John and Janene divorced in 1979. After the divorce, Janene moved to Colorado where she enjoyed the mountain landscape and felt there would be more opportunities for her and her daughter. As a single mother, Janene worked 2-3 jobs to keep her family afloat. Instead of perpetuating the struggles of her childhood, Janene loved her daughter fiercely and encouraged her to dream big and to strive for success.

In her career, Janene applied her compassion and intuition for helping others. For 30 years, Janene worked as a nurse before deciding to finally pursue her dream of going back to school. While working at Fort Logan State Hospital, Janene felt she had learned enough about the human body and became interested in studying the mind. She attended Metropolitan State University in Denver and earned a B.A. in Psychology in 2000. While working full-time at Fort Logan and pursuing her education, Janene was proud of serving on the Sustainability Committee as well as the Anti-Smoking Committee. Janene gained confidence as an advocate and was not afraid to bring up issues to management when she felt others were not treated with dignity and respect.

During this time, Janene decided she wanted to become a therapist. She took on a challenging weekend program from the University of Northern Colorado, again while working full-time. She graduated in 2006 with her Masters and became board certified as a Licensed Professional Counselor in 2008. Janene found her passion; she loved counseling people and she excelled at it. Janene’s careers also brought her lifelong friendships, and helped her give love, support, and encouragement to others.                     

In her spare time, Janene enjoyed running to help relieve stress. In 2003, Janene trained for her first marathon in Las Vegas, which she completed despite windy conditions. The same year, Janene was selected to run the NYC marathon, which she completed with April cheering her to the finish line. Janene’s philosophy of entering a race each month and “not coming in last” inspired April and future son-in-law, Josh, to join her on races. They ran multiple 5Ks and 10Ks including her favorite race, the Bolder Boulder.

Janene encouraged April to pursue her dream of traveling the world and even joined her on a few adventures. Janene visited April when she lived in Scotland and they toured England and Scotland together. Back in the states, they took a beach vacation to Cancun and visited the Chichen Itza pyramid. After Janene turned 60, they went on a dream vacation to Italy. While Janene enjoyed going to art museums, eating fresh pasta, and sampling the local wine, her favorite activity was the daily trip to a favorite gelato shop.

In 2016, Janene became Nana when her grandson Owen was born. Janene loved being a nana, and she was great at it. When she played with Owen, she became a child again, romping around to Owen’s delight. She indulged him in his never-ending desire to play hide-and-seek. She demanded hugs, because he gave the “best hugs,” and Owen happily gave them. Janene, April, Josh, and Owen went on many hikes together.

In 2018, Janene moved back to Aurora from Littleton to be closer to her family. Always a hard worker, she made the hard decision to semi-retire and focus on her private practice, which was very successful. She enjoyed Sunday dinners with April, Josh, and Owen, especially her favorite meal: shrimp scampi.

Janene rejected the idea of being old. Although she was in her late 60s, she said she felt like she was only 50. She continued to run races and hike into her last year. Her illness and diagnosis of Stage IV pancreatic cancer came quick and sudden. Still, she maintained a positive attitude and attempted chemo to battle the cancer. On September 7, 2020, Janene was hospitalized due to complications from her illness. April held her hand and comforted her until she passed.

Janene inspired many with her infectious optimism. She always believed there was a better tomorrow waiting for her. She strove daily to improve herself, to set goals, and to achieve them. She also encouraged family, friends, and co-workers to find their passion and follow their dreams. Janene was also quick to laugh and loved to joke around with people. Janene provided love, kindness, compassion, and support in even the darkest times. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who knew her.

Janene is survived by her siblings, Karlene Gordon, Jeffrey Zibolsky, Kristine Valentine (Patrick), and Sherrene Kevan (Peter), her daughter April Love (Joshua Fitzpatrick), her grandson, Owen Fitzpatrick, and many nieces and nephews.

Janene will be laid to rest in the Seven Stones Cemetery at Chatfield in Littleton, Colorado. A memorial and burial service will be planned for 2021.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Mental Health Colorado, an organization that works to end the stigma of mental health treatment. Alternatively, Janene was devoted to sustainability and the outdoors. She ran many races in Denver Parks. The Park People is a community organization focused on planting trees in parks throughout Denver. Links to both organizations are in her profile below.