Janice H. (Hohorst) Seligman

Janice H. Seligman of Prattsburgh, New York, died July 13, 2023, in Durham, New Hampshire. She was 91 and suffered from Alzheimer’s in recent years.

Born in Hicksville, New York, the only child of John G. and Vera (Gouse) Hohorst, Janice was predeceased by her parents and her husband of 50 years, J. Richard Seligman. She is survived by three children, Cheryl Ann Seligman of Hampton Bays, New York, widow of the late Thomas “T.J.” M. Johnson; Joel Richard Seligman of Essex Junction, Vermont, husband of Roberto P. Garcia; and Heather Lea Seligman of Hampton, New Hampshire, wife of John R. Trayner and mother of Scarlett Noelle Trayner.

Janice grew up on Long Island, where her father was a potato farmer. She graduated from Hicksville High School in 1949 and studied at the Traphagen School of Fashion in Manhattan. Her family moved from Long Island to Steuben County where she met her husband and then raised their family.

Though Janice’s greatest passion was caring for her home and family, she helped with business functions for the family’s business. She worked outside the home prior to the birth of her children as a telephone operator and—after her children were grown—as a winery tour guide and hostess.

A highly talented seamstress, Janice made many beautiful clothes for her children and herself. She loved to cook and entertain, throwing countless large dinner parties and hosting extended family holiday celebrations. Janice loved nature and animals—adding two horses, three rabbits, and seven dogs to the family over seven decades. Her beloved Branson, a 9-year-old Siberian husky now lives with her daughter’s family in Hampton.

Janice was active as a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Prattsburgh, serving the congregation as a Sunday school teacher and later as an elder. She was a member of The Order of the Eastern Star and a devoted supporter of performing arts, especially dance. After many years of dance instruction, Janice formed the Young Prattsburgh Dancers, offering lessons and performances in tap, jazz, and ballet to hundreds of young girls and their families over two decades.

In 2017, Janice moved closer to her son, Joel, and daughter, Heather, on the Atlantic coast of northern New England residing in her son’s and son-in-law’s home in Ogunquit, Maine. While in Ogunquit, she cherished visiting the beach, joining the weekly dance class at the senior center, and visiting the piano bar. In 2021, she moved to a memory care assisted living community in nearby Durham, New Hampshire where she was quick to teach her fellow residents how to mix a proper Manhattan cocktail, a social ritual she enjoyed at 5 p.m. for her adult life.

Remembered as a devoted wife, a caring mother and grandmother, a friendly neighbor, a fun-loving companion, and a “real lady” who was ever the best-dressed in the room, Janice leaves behind a loving family and countless friends of all ages whose lives are richer thanks to Janice’s grace, talent, caring, support, and affection.    

SERVICES: Visitation is Tuesday, July 18, 2023, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. with services immediately following at Johnson Funeral Home, 26 Market Street, North Berwick, Maine. A committal will follow on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Plain Lawn Cemetery, 279 West Old Country Road, Hicksville, New York. Condolences may be expressed at www.JohnsonFuneralHomeME.com

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