Janelle Catalano Headrick was born in Monte Vista, CO on September 30th, 1962.  She was raised on the family farm in Alamosa County with her three brothers and two sisters.  This was the beginning of her passion for horticulture.

She graduated from Sargeant High School in 1980.  She was an active member in her class.  She participated enthusiastically in track, basketball and cheerleading. 

Colorado State University was Janelle’s next step.  She ran track for CSU and was a very diligent student who graduated with a degree in floriculture and greenhouse management.  She was the first person in her family to graduate from college.  She met her future husband, Craig, when she was a sophomore.  They were married in 1989. 

Craig and Janelle moved to Nacogdoches, TX where she took additional classes to become a secondary math and science teacher.  Janelle had her first teaching job after moving to Cordele, GA. 

In 1992, Craig and Janelle moved back to Colorado.  First to Ft. Collins and then to Arvada.  Janelle started teaching at Thornton High School in the science department where she was a dedicated and inspirational teacher for 24 years. 

Their first child, Kyra, was born in 1995 and Brandon was born in 1998. Janelle was a loving and caring mom.  Education was always a priority as well as being involved in activities.  She was very supportive of all of their interests. Her cheers for her kids could be heard above all others! 

Craig and Janelle both retired in 2017 and moved to Brighton where they bought a new house on an acre of land.  Janelle had great plans for landscaping the whole acre.  It gave her great joy to work with her flowers and yard every day.

She remained a passionate runner.  After college, she became a long-distance runner and ran over 40 races, including 2 marathons. 

In September of 2020, she was diagnosed with aggressive gall bladder cancer. She spent the year doing chemo and a clinical trial.  On July 4, she passed away peacefully after spending much quality time with her family and friends.  She is greatly missed. 

A Celebration of Life will be held for Janelle at 1:30 pm on July 18, 2021, at the Alli Event Center.

100 S. 3rd Avenue, Brighton, CO. 80601